


to feel you smile

by vending_machine



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: AU, Blind!Kuroko, Comfort, Cuddles, First Date, First Kiss, First Time, Fluff, Injury, M/M, Meeting the Parents, More Fluff, Oral Sex, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Phone Sex, Slow Build, Smut, University, pianist!Kuroko, volunteer fireman!Kagami
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-19
Updated: 2016-02-27
Packaged: 2018-03-18 15:08:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 62,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3574223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vending_machine/pseuds/vending_machine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>a blooming relationship between a blind blue-haired boy and a tall, red-headed basketball baka.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> New long fic yay!! ((hopefully yay anyway))  
> I am 3 chapters ahead right now, and hopefully will update once a week (probably on a Thursday like today). I'm not actually sure how long this will go on for, probably only until about the 30,000 word mark ^.^, so maybe like 15 chapters? idk. we'll see *^^*
> 
> as always, my work is unbeta'd, so please forgive/let me know about any mistakes <3  
> and as usual, kudos/comments/anything is always super appreciated <3
> 
> EDIT: also, E rating for later chapters (there will be smut omg i'm so excited to write it)
> 
> I'm sorry Kurokocchi baby. I do love you. <3

It had only been a month since Kagami had started his second year of university and he was already exhausted. Basketball practise was still fun, but taking a hell of a lot of time and energy. He groaned under his breath as he stretched, peeling off his t-shirt to switch into his basketball kit.

“Oi, bakagami,” a familiar voice drawled from behind him. “Get those bruises in the sheets?”

Kagami wondered what Aomine was talking about, and then remembered he had bruises decorating his shoulders and down his back. He was volunteering at the local fire station in order to get some experience, since that was what he was thinking he wanted to do after he graduated if basketball fell through, or when he simply got too old to play in the big leagues. The other day, he’d been helping them shift some boxes when a tall pile in the closet had started to topple. Without having time to stop it, he’d gone to brace it with his back, which had bloody _hurt_ , but also stopped a smaller member of the team from getting crushed. He’d also gotten a few beers out of it, so couldn’t complain overly much.

“Nah,” Kagami shrugged, unwilling to get angry over the basic insinuation from the asshole he had daily basketball battles with. He didn’t have a love life to speak of. Hadn’t for a year or so, unless one counted with his own hand. And even that had been losing its appeal recently.

“Gonna let me kick your ass again?” Aomine smirked as Kagami tugged on his jersey and turned to face him.

“I think it’s the other way around,” Kagami smirked back. “But bring it on.”

\--------

The whistle blowing signalled the end of practise and Kagami accepted the water bottle handed to him by one of the subs for the mini game, thanking him briefly before taking a deep swig. Aomine and he had had a couple of brutal one-on-ones today and he knew his muscles would ache tomorrow. It didn’t help that he was still feeling a little sore from the bruises along his spine, though working them out would hopefully help all the muscle regeneration. Stretching his arms above his head, he took a deep breath in and let his muscles relax.

They instantly tensed again when a soft _woof_ came from behind him. Why the hell was there a dog here, in the gym? He didn’t deal well with the animals. Hell, one of the reasons he’d been sold on living in Japan was the small amount of dog owners in Tokyo, thanks to the ridiculous lack of space.

“Tetsu,” Aomine drawled, sounding more pleased than Kagami had probably ever heard the blue-haired male. “You found your way here then.”

“Of course, Aomine-kun. I have Nigou as my guide,” a soft, polite voice returned.

“Oi, bakagami,” Aomine called him and Kagami turned around, slinging a towel around his neck and wiping his face again. Aomine was grinning in a way Kagami had never seen him smile off the court as he had his arm slung around the shoulders of a pale, light-blue haired boy who was probably a year or two younger than them. “Come meet Tetsu. We used to play basketball together in high school.”

So he was the same age as them. Probably. Kagami was a little surprised – the other boy was tiny in comparison to Aomine, let alone himself. He wondered if he’d been any good at basketball. A quick glance at the smaller boy didn’t lend any confidence to possible basketball skill as his stature was kind of weak-looking and his presence didn’t exactly stand out either, but Kagami tried to keep in mind Aomine’s love for the sport and desperate need for a rival to match his own skills. So maybe there was more to the stranger than met the eye.

Kagami took a step forward, only to stop dead as the dog he’d heard before came towards him, wagging its tail ferociously and its tongue lolling out, irrational fear welling inside him. This dog looked nothing like the one that had bit him, which helped, but he still didn’t particularly want it anywhere near him. Thankfully, it was probably small enough that it couldn’t do too much damage. He hoped.

“Nigou,” the small pale boy murmured, his voice soft but stern, and the dog stopped pulling on its lead, much to Kagami’s relief. It was only then that Kagami noticed that the dog was on a harness, with a yellow coat signifying he was a guide dog. “My apologies,” the blue boy looked somewhat in his direction, wide blue eyes open and unseeing.

“No worries,” Kagami waved it off, even as he wondered how on earth Aomine had played basketball with this guy. “Ah… Tetsu?”

“Kuroko Tetsuya,” he corrected politely. “And you are…?”

“Kagami Taiga,” Aomine butted in. “A teammate. Sort of knows what he’s doing.”

“I see. You must be good,” Kuroko nodded in Kagami’s direction, “For Aomine-kun to mention your abilities.”

“He can jump,” Aomine scoffed. “That’s about it.”

“Oi!” Kagami snapped back, enraged as usual whenever the dark-blue haired boy opened his mouth, but a blond whirlwind shut them both up as it came swirling to their corner of the court.

“Kuroko _chhiiiiiiiii_ ,” Kise came out of nowhere, leaping onto the smaller boy as if he wouldn’t ever let go, pushing Aomine away from Kuroko to stand next to Kagami. “I didn’t know you came to see me.”

“I came to see Aomine-kun, Kise-kun,” Kuroko corrected simply.

“So mean!” Kise wailed, making Kagami roll his eyes. He couldn’t deny the blond model’s skills at basketball, but his personality was somewhat louder than Kagami could usually bear for more than an hour. He knew that wasn’t all that Kise was, Kagami was a much better judge of character than most gave him credit for, but despite that it was still hard to take the blond seriously most of the time.

“Oi, you missed practise, asshole,” Aomine snarled, but there was very little heat behind the words. Kagami had wondered exactly what the relationship between the two players was often. They were too close to be just friends, yet there were absolutely no other signs of a romantic relationship even behind closed doors. But the two had gone to the same middle school and high school, which meant that Kise also knew Kuroko through that… he glanced at the blind boy, wondering exactly what he was to the two others. Kise was no longer draped over the smaller male, but crouching down to play with the dog as if they were best friends. Which they might be, depending on the blind boy’s relationship to the other two.

“It’s not my fault the world wants to see my beautiful face,” Kise shot back with a grin, smirking up at Aomine. “And besides, you have Kagamicchi. He keeps you entertained on the court well enough.”

Kagami was insulted all over again. “Oi!”

“Hey!” he was interrupted from any further outrage by the captain sticking his head through the doors. “Stop bickering and get the fuck out of here. It’s the volleyball team’s turn to use the hall.”

Kagami nodded and went to fetch his bags. He watched as Aomine, being more considerate than Kagami had ever thought the idiot could be, took Kuroko’s hand and placed it on his forearm to help lead him out of the room, the small dog trotting obediently beside them.

They headed outside, the night air becoming considerably cooler as summer turned into autumn. Kagami was glad of it; Japan’s summer was way too humid to be able to play basketball comfortably outside.

“Dinner?” Aomine suggested. “I’m starving.”

“I know a great place two or three blocks away!” Kise offered enthusiastically. “They do the best teriyaki burgers,” he sang teasingly as Aomine’s face clouded over. It instantly brightened again as he grinned at the blond.

“Only if you’re paying,” he returned.

“Aominecchi!” Kise whined, pushing his hair back from his face in a way that was designed to show off his best features. “So stingy!”

“You missed practise. You’ve gotta pay. Literally.”

“That wasn’t my fault!” Kise pouted, but gave in and nodded. “Fine,” he grumped, turning his head away and coming to stand next to Kagami. “But you’re paying for yourself!” he added. “You eat too much.”

Kagami shrugged. “Never expected you to pay for me too,” he responded honestly.

“Good,” Kise nodded and his peeved expression disappeared behind a smile, his ire almost instantly disappearing. “Let’s go, then? Kurokocchi, you going to be okay?”

“Of course, Kise-kun,” Kuroko replied simply. “Don’t worry about me.”

Kise nodded as if that was a given and started off, hanging all over Aomine as usual instead, cheery voice echoing as Kagami started to walk beside Kuroko, unconsciously matching his usually long strides to the smaller boy’s pace. They spent less than fifteen minutes in the locker rooms, showering and changing in record time, the three basketball players starving.

They said nothing as they followed the other two leading the way, Kagami unable to think of anything to say and Kuroko was comfortable in the silence, aware that Kagami was by his side but without any feelings that saying something was necessary.

\--------

Dinner was a relatively quiet affair, mostly focused on the food with very few insults tossed back and forth between the basketball players, Kuroko generally quite silent except for asking Aomine to read the menu so he could order.

Kagami ended up sitting next to Kuroko, so couldn’t really see the smaller boy’s face, and sometimes had to admit he forgot about him until he spoke up. Which was a little awkward, but he hoped he mostly covered his little jolts every time he was re-made aware of the quiet boy’s presence.

But further introductions were never made, and Kuroko and Kagami headed in separate directions after dinner, Kuroko being led to his home on the other side of Tokyo with Aomine and Kise as Kagami headed back to his apartment just a few blocks over from the restaurant.

Kagami changed, feeling exhausted as he stepped under the weak shower spray and let the hot water soothe aching muscles. He was vaguely pleased with himself, since he’d managed to react relatively normally to the dog that had spent most of dinner sitting between his leg and Kuroko’s. But very few other thoughts entered his head as he pulled on boxers, forgoing a t-shirt, and collapsing onto the bed, passing out in less than a minute as exhaustion sucked him under. The last image he had before crashing into sleep was a pair of wide blue eyes.

\--------

Meanwhile, Kuroko was thanking Kise and Aomine for walking him home, and letting himself into his apartment.

“Sorry for Kagami crashing today,” Aomine apologised as he followed his old teammate into the lounge. “But he’s not a bad guy.”

“It was fine, Aomine-kun,” Kuroko assured him truthfully. There had been something… odd, about sitting next to Aomine’s current teammate, but Kuroko wasn’t yet sure what it was. Kuroko understood the heat that had brushed through him when Kagami’s knee had brushed his, the other boy’s legs unusually long, or when large hands had brushed his briefly. The touches hadn’t lasted long enough for Kuroko to accurately judge the other boy’s height, and he had to admit it bothered him a little. He wanted to be able to see, to be able to judge for himself, even as he’d become content unable to view everything in his sight.

“Thanks.”

Kuroko couldn’t see what the two were doing, but as neither of them immediately filled the silence he was pretty sure they were involved in some form of showing affection. And since it was Kise and Aomine, he was pretty sure that meant a lot of hands-on action.

“Could you two please take that home?”

“How did you _know_?!” Kise gasped, but the laughter was clear in his voice. “Sorry, Kurokocchi. Kagamicchi doesn’t know about us two yet, Aominecchi thinks he’s either a prude or homophobic. I, for one, think he’s gay, and just doesn’t find Aominecchi attractive.”

“No way!” Aomine snapped. “He responded to _none_ of my flirting at the start of the year. What kind of gay guy does that?”

“Why were you even flirting with him anyway?” Kise retorted, “We were dating then!”

“It was an experiment,” Aomine mumbled, sounding a little apologetic. “And _he_ didn’t know that.”

Kise sighed and rolled his eyes. “We should just tell him.”

Kuroko yawned and the other two immediately stopped their conversation.

“Sorry, Tetsu. This one got carried away, as usual,” Aomine sighed, smacking Kise lightly across the head.

“It’s fine, Aomine-kun. But you really should talk to Kagami-kun. Kise _is_ a better judge of character than you, if we _are_ honest.”

“Oi!”

“Kurokocchiiiii!” Kise whimpered in happiness. If he was a dog, his tail would be going at a hundred flicks a minute. “See, Daiki? Kurokocchi’s never wrong.”

“Shut up,” Aomine sighed. “Maybe. We’ll give it a little while longer.”

“Alright,” Kise leant in for a brief kiss. “Fine. We should probably leave,” he added as Aomine’s hands came to his waist and pulled him in close, despite Kuroko being less than ten paces away.

“Please,” Kuroko agreed. “I may be blind, but I can still imagine what you two are doing.”

Aomine laughed. “Alright, alright. We’ll see you tomorrow then, Tetsu.”

“Goodnight Aomine-kun, Kise-kun.”

The two left Kuroko’s apartment hand-in-hand, grinning at each other as two love-struck fools would.

Kuroko went to bed, thinking about the newcomer at dinner and wondering if he’d ever get to meet him again. His last thought before bed was wondering what colour Kagami’s eyes were.


	2. Chapter 2

Kagami’s alarm blaring obnoxiously woke him up at eight a.m. the next day and he rolled out of bed blearily, slapping the clock several times to shut it up. It was Thursday, which meant he had no classes, but a full day’s shift volunteering at the fire station, so he pulled on the usual sweats and black t-shirt as he grabbed his bag and headed out of his apartment, jogging a little to wake himself up as he headed the four blocks over to the station.

“Yo, Kagami,” he was welcomed by Hyuuga, who was not much older than him, but had joined the force directly out of high school and had quickly made it up the ranks to Captain of the squad.

“Morning, captain. Where do you want me today?”

“They’re cleaning and checking the fire trucks. Go help them out. Riko’s leading it.”

Kagami nodded and dumped his bag in his locker before sliding down the fireman’s pole (secretly his favourite thing to do) to the trucks. Riko was leading an impressive team as would be expected, a couple of guys washing down the outside of the trucks as the others lined up the equipment for inspection and cleaning.

Two of the fire trucks were left untouched for the moment, in case of an emergency. Which was unlikely, but everyone was still always alert, just in case.

\--------

But three hours later, just as they’d finished re-equipping the second fire truck, the emergency alarm blared.

The station was suddenly a mess of people, who somehow managed to end up exactly where they needed to. Kagami had to admit he was always amazed, especially as within a minute most were on the trucks. He’d gone on a few runs before, but none were on an emergency scale like this one.

“Kagami!” Hyuuga came over to him, and Kagami stood to attention, _hoping_ he’d be allowed to go along. “It’s been a year, now?” Hyuuga asked. “You’ve done, what, five of these with us?”

Kagami nodded, unconsciously wringing the towel he held in his fingers.

“You can come. But stay back. Obey orders. Don’t do anything stupid.”

Kagami nodded, amazed. This was the first extreme emergency call he’d ever been allowed on. Thanks to his volunteering, a lot of the guys had taught him what to do, what they did. He’d had some experiences going through what they had, trying out some of their training exercises. It was nothing like the intense drills or training that his friends had gone through, but it was a start.

\--------

They arrived at a small elementary school. Most of the children were safe at a nearby park, teachers frantically trying to calm them down and reassure them. But the fire had spread, so much so that it was unlikely the school would be intact at the end of it.

“Kagami, go help the stragglers,” he received an order from Hyuuga as the older male jumped down from the truck and started barking orders to everyone else.

He nodded and headed over to the teachers, getting a quick report of the situation. Nobody knew what had actually caused the fire, and no one had set off the fire alarm, so thank God it worked. All children were accounted for, according to the few teachers which arrived afterwards, and he helped them to organise the rest of the children.

He watched as a couple of the firefighters, Kiyoshi and Hyuuga, headed into the building. He had no idea why, until he heard one of the girls crying about the school cat which they’d forgotten to collect in the panic.

It was five minutes later when he heard a cry and saw Riko rush towards the school entrance, where Hyuuga was making it out of the building slowly. She took what had to be the cat and Hyuuga ducked back inside.

Assured that the students and teachers were okay, Kagami left them to get a better grasp of the situation, needing to know what was going on.

He felt his stomach clench into a slick knot as the door started to give way, fire licking at the outside, defying the powerful streams coming from the fire hose. Kiyoshi and Hyuuga were still in there. All because of a stupid cat. Goddamn it.

He had to turn away again as the children started crying, trying to keep them all calm as he passed out towels and water, feeling utterly helpless and hating it with every inch of him. A few of the children were huddling in the corner, looking terrified as they stared at the fire with wide, open eyes and tears and snot dribbling down their faces.

He spun around when another shout sounded and could only watch, dumbfounded, as Riko made a run back for the school entrance, defying the orders being screamed behind her.

Hyuuga’s figure was visible just beyond the school doors, the frame almost collapsing in on itself. He was gesturing desperately for help, Kiyoshi’s body nowhere to be seen.

Riko made it inside the entrance and they disappeared for half a minute, before their figures became visible trying to pull something heavy.

Kagami felt his stomach drop. Kiyoshi. Shit. This wasn’t good. Hyuuga and Riko were struggling, unable to pull the body any further.

Goddamn it.

The other firefighters couldn’t do anything, too busy trying to prevent the fire from spreading any further and looking hopelessly desperate as a couple turned their hoses towards the door, trying to give Hyuuga and Riko some more time. The flames were fierce, there really wasn’t much they could do, except hold them back. The fire had spread too far.

Kiyoshi was too heavy. The firefighter, one of everyone’s favourites, was taller and had a bigger build in general than anyone else on the team. Yet despite his build, he was as gentle as a puppy, and kind. Everyone loved him. To not be able to save him now, when he’d done so much for everyone… it was inconceivable.

Kagami felt his body move on autopilot as he left the children and headed for a truck. They always kept an extra jacket and fire-proof pants around. Yanking them on and barely taking the time to zip the jacket up, he stared at the school for a millisecond.

He couldn’t wait. He couldn’t stop. Fuck it all.

Ignoring the shouts behind him, he used the power in his legs to sprint towards Hyuuga, ignoring the heat from the flames on his face, on his skin, shielding his face with his sleeve as he reached the burning building.

Kiyoshi’s body was on the floor two metres away from the door, his knee twisted unnaturally, the material blackened around it. Something had clearly landed on him and caught him.

“Bakagami! No!” Riko swore as he jumped over a fallen beam and bent down next to Hyuuga.

“Stand him up!” he yelled, eyes stinging already in the smoke. The jacket he’d grabbed was providing some protection, but not enough and he could feel the heat almost singe him as he ducked to avoid a few sparks.

Hyuuga’s eyes were wide and unbelieving as he saw the state of Kagami, in a fire suit that didn’t really fit him, but there was nothing to be done now. And Hyuuga couldn’t argue, not when Kiyoshi was in such danger. There was no goddamn time.

So he just nodded and lifted Kiyoshi’s shoulders with a grunt. Kagami managed to help get Kiyoshi’s limp body into a rough standing position before bending over and forcing him into a fireman’s lift, needing Hyuuga’s help a little as the taller man’s body started to sway.

“Go!” Kagami yelled, hearing the cracking of wood worryingly close behind him.

Hyuuga nodded and started to lead the way, using his experience to find the best route for Kagami as the fire seemed to get closer and closer, closing in. Kagami held his breath, just focused on getting out. He ignored the burns on his fingers, the sheer heat that had already made him sweat through all of his clothing, the tears and sweat dripping from his eyes and down his face. He barely felt the flying wood and glass, even when they sliced across his cheek, his forehead, his hands. He just had to get out, with Kiyoshi intact. It was the only thought in his head.

He narrowly missed the doorframe, feeling the flames lick at his back, at his ankles and almost stumbling. But forcing that out of his head, telling himself he’d feel the fear later, he just followed Hyuuga’s back until clean air started to fill his lungs. He coughed, exhaling smoke, and two minutes later they were clear.

Kagami collapsed to his knees, the weight of Kiyoshi’s limp body all of a sudden too heavy now they were safe. The adrenaline rush dissipated, blood rushing in Kagami’s ears and leaving him lightheaded.

Lowering the other boy to the ground as gently as possible, he stayed on his knees for a second, tilting his face up and inhaling clean air as best as he could, coughing some as smoke was expelled from his lungs.

“Bakagami!” Riko’s voice echoed in his ears and he opened his eyes, meeting the startled, angry ones of his leader in front of him. “What the hell did you think you were doing? You’re not a fireman! The risk you just took! You could have _died_!!”

Kagami shook a little, the shock finally settling in. “I’m sorry,” he rasped, looking down at her fireproof-boot-clad-feet. “I just… I had to help.”

Riko sighed as the paramedics started to swarm around them, buzzing in Kagami’s ears.

“We’ll talk about this idiocy later,” Riko sighed, her gaze switching to Kiyoshi, who was being lifted onto a stretcher. “After Teppei gets the OK. For now, you get looked at.”

Kagami nodded, still not looking up. The world was starting to spin.

“And Kagami-kun?” Riko’s voice turned soft and he looked up, surprised. “Thank you. He probably wouldn’t have made it if you hadn’t come. I’m not that strong.”

Kagami just stared wordlessly as she turned and walked away, helmet in her hand.

\--------

Almost four hours later, Kagami was let out of the hospital treatment room. His hands and wrists had second-degree burns on them, and he’d been told he was lucky it wasn’t worse. It still meant he couldn’t play basketball until they were healed. But he couldn’t regret it when he walked out of the room and found Hyuuga waiting for him with a quietly relieved look on his face. He’d done the right thing.

“He’ll live,” was the first thing Hyuuga said. “Thanks to you. His knee is busted, probably permanently. He’ll be able to walk, but he’ll need a cane, most likely. A beam landed on him in the worst place,” Hyuuga sighed and adjusted his glasses, gesturing for them to start walking to the exit. Kagami followed, his stomach churning with worry and relief. “They others have headed home, there’s nothing we can do now and they need to sort out the trucks and so on. But on another note…

“You were an _idiot_. Completely and utterly foolish. Bakagami fits you perfectly! What did you _think_ you were _doing_? You have no training, no experience, no knowledge whatsoever of how to handle a situation like that. You didn’t have the right gear, you put Riko and me in a more dangerous situation. If something had happened to you too…” Hyuuga sighed, his voice stern and disapproving.

Kagami shrank back at the immediate change of tone, more fearful of this Hyuuga than he had been of the fire. “I just… I needed to do _something_ ,” was all he could say.

Hyuuga sighed. “You’re an idiot,” he replied gruffly. “For disobeying orders, you’re not allowed to join any outside excursions for at least six months.”

Kagami felt the jolt in his stomach, but forced himself to calm down. “I-.”

“You’re lucky it’s just that,” Hyuuga interrupted before he could defend himself. “The commissioner wants you off volunteer work completely for a year. If it wasn’t for Riko you probably would be, if not off the whole force for good. She only got you down because she explained that we couldn’t have got Kiyoshi out without you. You might be expendable… but Kiyoshi isn’t. You saved one of our brightest,” Hyuuga sighed. “And for that we owe you.”

Kagami shook his head. “I _was_ an idiot,” he accepted, staring at the bandages on his hands. He’d have to be extra careful for weeks. And god knows how he’d write his notes with two burnt hands, let alone play basketball. “But I saw you were struggling. I just wanted to help.”

“You did,” Hyuuga slapped his shoulder lightly. “If you decide to join us, you’ll make a good fireman. An idiotic one who doesn’t follow orders – which you’ll have to learn to do so you don’t threaten the team next time – but you’ll save more than you endanger when you don’t. I’m not condoning your actions, but this time I’m grateful.”

Kagami nodded, taking it with relief and some awe. “Thanks.”

Hyuuga shrugged as they reached the exit and the air conditioning disappeared, leaving them in muggy heat. “Take the week off. We’ll see you next Thursday. And take care of your hands properly.”

“I can come here, right? To visit Kiyoshi and stuff?”

“Of course,” Hyuuga looked surprised, but pleased. “The doctors say they’ll keep him sedated for a few days or so to do the surgery and let the worst of the pain pass. Then they’ll wake him and we can visit. I’ll send you a text when we do.”

“Thanks,” Kagami nodded. “Tell the rest of the guys I’m sorry for worrying them all. I’ll see you all next week.”

“Will do. Treat those burns correctly,” Hyuuga repeated and waved to him as he headed off towards a taxi.

Kagami sighed, his stomach rumbling. He was starving.

Heading home, he microwaved a meal, changed his bandages and collapsed into bed, absolutely exhausted.

When he dreamed, he dreamed of fire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kagamicchi baby <3
> 
> Hola! I just want to say thank you to you who're reading this. Yep, YOU! <3  
> I had over 20 subscriptions after 2 days of posting the first chapter, and almost 50 kudos already... I could cry with happiness. I will do my best not to disappoint for those of you who might follow this fic, and any of you who join us at any point on these babies' journey, welcome and I hope you also enjoy it <3


	3. Chapter 3

A week later, Kagami was walking around the university without any real goal in mind, too wired up to go to home just yet even though his class was over for the day. He couldn’t practise since his hands still weren’t healed, and it was a constant reminder of last Thursday. He hadn’t been able to go back to the firehouse today either, an unexpected make-up class had popped up for one that had been cancelled on Monday. Not that he’d felt overly much like going back yet anyway. He was exhausted. Dreams – well, nightmares – of fire, of death, of injury, kept waking him in a cold sweat every night. He was tired, finding it hard to focus, yet not sure what he could do to get over the dreams.

He didn’t want to admit how much Kiyoshi’s accident had affected him. The fire fighter would be fine, would survive, but his knee would never be the same. Kagami hadn’t managed to get to the hospital to see the other male yet, his classes constantly clashing with the times the fire department could go, and so had been relying on Hyuuga’s few messages to tell him about Kiyoshi’s condition.

But this was what, when basketball was no longer an option, Kagami could be signing himself up for. He sighed and slumped against the wall, still trying to remove Hyuuga and Riko’s anguished faces from his head as they’d tried to pull Kiyoshi out from the school, the school cat that he’d gone into save safe while he wasn’t. Some people were just too goddamn nice, Kagami mused, resting against a wall before wondering where he’d ended up.

He was close to the gym, as would probably be expected by now. Sighing, he closed his eyes for a second, before a soft strain of music reached his ears. The piano notes rang soft and clear, perfectly in tune and Kagami found himself pushing himself upright and heading towards the hall next to the gym, peeking inside the open door.

On the stage was a large grand piano, which was where the music was coming from. A microphone was set up beside it, as well as a few seats in the back which Kagami assumed were for other musicians.

What surprised him was who was sitting at the piano. And the dog curled up at his master’s feet, eyes closed and relaxed. Kagami took a few steps forward and Nigou looked up at the quiet sound, then sat up and his tail started wagging furiously, though he didn’t leave his master’s side.

Kuroko’s fingers silenced on the keys.

“Who’s there?” he asked, not looking away from the piano. “Aomine-kun?”

“Ah, no. It’s Kagami,” Kagami flushed for no reason, feeling awkward. “We met last week? Sorry to interrupt.”

“No, it’s fine. I remember.” Kuroko turned somewhat to the deep voice, trying to pinpoint the other male’s location with his ears. He remembered the deep voice very well, and had admittedly wanted to hear it again. “I wasn’t doing anything important, really.”

A silence settled over the two. “You play really well,” Kagami eventually said, feeling like he needed to say _something_.

Kuroko shrugged, turning back to the keys. Kagami used the opportunity to take a few steps closer and perch on the edge of the stage, hoping to hear more.

“It brings me comfort,” Kuroko murmured. “It’s something I can still do without my sight.”

“So you weren’t always this way?” Kagami enquired, wanting to know more about this elusive friend of Aomine’s. He was… interesting, in a way Kagami couldn’t explain. But he wanted to know more.

“Ah, sorry,” he added quickly when Kuroko took a few seconds longer than usual to answer. “If you don’t want to talk about it, it’s fine. I didn’t mean to press where I’m not wanted.”

“No,” Kuroko cut him off, shaking his head. His hand reached down and Nigou went instantly to it, allowing himself to be petted as Kuroko stared blindly at his lap. “It’s alright. I started losing my eyesight when I was around fourteen. I was fine for a couple of years, I only needed a weak prescription and I could do most things, like basketball, without my glasses. They didn’t realise anything was really wrong until I was seventeen, and my eyesight started rapidly degenerating after I contracted a particularly nasty fever. Within half a year, I was wearing the strongest glasses they had. A year ago, I was completely blind.”

“I’m sorry,” Kagami murmured, feeling a little awkward. “I can’t say I know what that feels like, ‘cause I’ve never experienced anything like it. But I can imagine how sucky it would be.”

Kuroko offered a weak smile in – hopefully – his direction. “It is ‘sucky’,” he agreed. “But thinking back on it, I’m glad I at least had my sight to start with. I wouldn’t know half the things I do today, wouldn’t have done all of the things I wanted to, if I’d always been this way.”

“Bittersweet,” Kagami murmured.

“Exactly,” Kuroko nodded, still petting his dog, which was all but falling asleep under the steady, even strokes. Kagami wondered how those hands would feel petting _him_ but immediately thrust the thought out of his brain. He could not start having an interest in this guy. Not now.

“What are you doing here, anyway?” Kuroko’s voice broke into his desperate thoughts and Kagami snapped out of it. “Aomine-kun is at practise. Aren’t you supposed to be there too?”

“Ah,” Kagami rubbed the back of his neck, annoyed at the bandages covering his hands as he was reminded they were there. “I can’t practise for a few weeks. Injury.”

“I see,” Kuroko nodded. “That’s a shame.”

“It’s my own fault,” Kagami sighed. “I should have been more careful. But I can’t do anything about it now.” Kuroko said nothing to that. If he was honest, he was a little surprised by the other’s maturity. He was a little different to Aomine’s descriptions. “What are you doing here anyway?” Kagami asked into the silence.

“Just practising for the concert tonight.” Kuroko’s voice was neutral, giving nothing away.

“Concert? Yours?” Kagami asked, interest increasing.

Kuroko shrugged. “General musicians from the university. Though I am one of them, I’m not performing until the end, I’m afraid.”

“Did you have to buy tickets in advance?” Kagami asked, then cringed a little at how desperate he sounded. He just wanted- _needed_ a distraction, and getting to know Kuroko was admittedly an excellent one. “I mean, I’ve got nothing to do tonight, and I’d like to hear you play again.”

He couldn’t quite look at Kuroko, even though he knew the smaller boy couldn’t see, the blush on his face was mortifying even for him. But in staring at the floor, he missed Kuroko’s face also turning back towards the piano and the tips of pale ears turning pink.

“There were tickets,” Kuroko replied when he was sure his voice was perfectly neutral. “But not all were sold. I’m pretty sure you’d be able to get one on the door.”

Kagami nodded, then realised that Kuroko couldn’t see him and stopped instantly, feeling like an idiot. “I’ll do that then,” he murmured, and Kuroko hoped Kagami couldn’t see the small, stupid grin gracing his lips. He’d heard some of the stories about Kagami from Aomine, and he’d enjoyed listening to them. He wanted to get to know this male who was similar to his friend, yet totally different.

Kuroko wondered what kind of injury Kagami had that meant he couldn’t play. Aomine hadn’t said anything – well, more accurately, hadn’t complained about anything – so it couldn’t have been too serious. Still, from all he’d learnt, Kagami didn’t seem the type to not play basketball unless he absolutely couldn’t.

Kagami stretched and sighed, feeling his tight muscles protest.

“Are you okay?” Kuroko asked, hearing a quiet, heavy sigh.

“Hmm? Oh. Yeah. I’ll be fine,” Kagami rolled his neck on his shoulders, purposefully ignoring the flash of red behind his eyelids. “I’m just tired.”

“I see,” Kuroko murmured, and wondered exactly what was going on. But, he didn’t know Kagami or Kagami’s situation well enough to pry. He wondered if he could change that.

He’d heard enough about Kagami that his interest was piqued. He was also wondering if the other male _was_ gay as Kise-kun suspected he was. Kuroko couldn’t see him to discern from his appearance, his reactions, and had to rely on his voice and what he could determine from the general things around him. He suppressed a sigh, wondering if he’d ever get up the courage to mention anything.

The two boys sat in silence for a few minutes more before Kuroko turned back to the piano and placed his fingers on the keys just for something to do. That, and the presence of Kagami-kun was somehow soothing, and even though Kuroko wasn’t sure why, he wanted to pay the other boy back with something. Soft notes rang under the gentle pressure of his fingertips and it calmed him even more. He had never really appreciated his ability to play the piano until he had lost his sight and it had become much more difficult to do anything. His love of basketball had eclipsed most of his other hobbies and he had been lost without it.

Nowadays, the piano gave him solace. He could remember notes in his head, his fingers knew where to go, which key to press and when. He was competent in this, on his own. Even in basketball he had needed Aomine or another member of the Generation of Miracles to become a player worthy of participating in tournaments. With this, he was independent. He could do whatever he liked, as long as he was sat in front of the keys. He could be successful without the need to hide in the shadows.

Kagami sat there in silence and Kuroko couldn’t tell what the redhead was thinking. It bothered him a little, but there was nothing he could do about it.

“You do play well,” Kagami murmured and Kuroko couldn’t stop the little flutter of pleasure in his stomach. “My mom used to play, but not as well as you.”

“Where do you live?” Kuroko asked, aware it was slightly personal but wanting to know more. He was alone with Kagami, as far as he knew, and he didn’t see the harm in asking a couple of questions.

“Oh, I live alone here. My mom passed away when I was young, and my dad’s back in the States,” Kagami replied. “I was originally meant to live here with him when he moved for work, but that didn’t work out so he’s back in the US. But by the time we were told dad actually wasn’t being transferred here, I was already enrolled at this university and we’d paid the lease on the apartment. So I figured I might as well stay.”

“I’m sorry for your loss,” Kuroko murmured, hoping he hadn’t hurt the stranger with his question.

“No, it’s fine,” Kagami shook his head, but stopped when he realised Kuroko couldn’t see him, feeling a little stupid. “It was a long time ago.”

Kuroko nodded, one finger gently pressing down on a key, so slowly that it made no sound. “Did you live here as a child, if you said your dad was back in the US?”

“Yeah,” Kagami stretched his legs out, staring at the rows of chairs. “For a few years. I’ve lived in America for most of my life, though.”

“I see,” Kuroko murmured, fingers trailing over the keys gently, taking in the little dips under his fingertips. He briefly wondered what Kagami’s skin would feel like but pushed that thought out of his head as soon as it formed. They had only met twice, for goodness’s sake. This was not like him.

“I should probably go and talk to my coach for a minute or two,” Kagami sighed as Kuroko said nothing else and he realised it was almost the end of regular practise. “But, uh, do you want to get dinner or something after the concert?”

“That would be good,” Kuroko nodded, praying he wasn’t flushing too noticeably. He wasn’t sure what it was, but the idea of him and Kagami alone, away from university, filled him with quiet nerves, humming in his stomach. He told himself to stop it, it was too soon, but he supposed it couldn’t be helped as the flutters refused to die down completely.

Kagami was the same, amazed he’d even been able to issue the invitation. Kuroko was cute and almost fragile looking, but had to have a spine of steel if he was a friend of Aomine’s. Kagami wanted to know more, and not just because of Aomine’s influence. While not exactly _out_ , Kagami’s closest friends and family knew he was gay. He wasn’t sure if Kuroko was or not, but either way he figured it would be worth it to find out.


	4. Chapter 4

Kagami left Kuroko sitting at the piano with a word or two of goodbye, and headed into the hall a few minutes after practise had been due to end. He was relieved to see the coach still in the hall, chatting to a few of the regular subs. But his stomach clenched when he saw Aomine turn in his direction and the darker boy’s eyes narrow as they caught sight of him.

“Oi, Bakagami!” Aomine’s voice rang out clear across the hall. “Where have you been for practise this last week?”

“None of your business, Ahomine!” Kagami snapped back, feeling a little antsy all of a sudden. He didn’t want to explain. He just wanted to talk to coach and leave. “Go change. You reek.”

“What did you say?” Aomine charged over, about to pull the first punch when he noticed the angry red gash that still remained under Kagami’s eye.

“Oi, asshole,” Aomine crossed his arms, coming to a dead stop. “What did you do? Get into a fight?”

Kagami sighed and shook his head. “Nah. But I can’t play for a while.”

“Kagamicchi!” Kise gasped, coming up from behind the tall redhead. “What have you done to your hands?”

Aomine’s eyes immediately flicked down and rested on the white gauze covering Kagami’s fingers and palms.

Kagami flushed and folded his arms self-consciously. They’d attracted quite a lot of attention from the rest of the team who had been making their way out of the hall, but had stopped at Aomine’s call.

“Don’t you dare tell me that _that_ idiot volunteer who jumped into a _burning primary school_ to save _seasoned_ firefighters was you, bakagami,” Aomine warned in a low voice, the idea coming into his head and filling him with rage. Worry was also a thin layer underneath, but converted into more anger quickly.

“That thing that was on the news?” Kise gasped, also feeling shock and a little fear for Kagami well up inside him. “Kagamicchi!”

Kagami couldn’t meet Aomine’s eyes, and his silence was answer enough for his teammates.

“You IDIOT!” Aomine yelled, about to swing his arm for a punch but, noticing, Kise leapt on him and held him a few metres away before he could injure Kagami further. “What were you _doing_ , you retard?!” Aomine snapped, but surprisingly he wasn’t fighting off Kise’s weight, just staring at Kagami with disapproving eyes.

“I didn’t think,” Kagami sighed, staring at his hands, worrying at the edge of one of the bandages around his fingers. “I just… Hyuuga couldn’t pull Kiyoshi’s weight out, and neither could Riko, and the roof was about to collapse so I just… went.”

Aomine sighed and Kise warily let go of the blue-haired ace, staying close just in case either of them decided to do something stupid.

“How long til your hands heal?”

“Another two weeks,” Kagami sighed. “Til I can take the bandages off. A week after that and I’ll be back at practise.”

“You’re a fucking idiot,” Aomine sniffed. “How are you getting anything done?”

Kagami shrugged helplessly. “With difficulty,” he admitted, offering a sheepish grin.

Aomine sighed and looked away. “You could have always asked us for help,” he muttered ungraciously, avoiding meeting anyone’s eyes. “We’re not that cruel as to abandon you.”

“I know!” Kagami protested, though frankly he was a little surprised by the offer. Kise shot him a bright grin and a subtle thumbs-up away from Aomine’s line of sight. “Thanks. But I’m alright. It’s only another couple of weeks, and I can still do most things. The professors are all being cool about it and giving me pre-made notes for the most part anyway,” he added, with some relief thrown into the final admission. God knew how he’d be coping otherwise.

Aomine nodded curtly. “What are you doing here anyway?”

“I was going to talk to coach,” Kagami replied, looking over to the other side of the hall where their coach was clearly waiting for him.

“Alright,” Aomine nodded. “We’ll see you around.”

Kagami nodded and headed over to talk to coach as the other boys headed for the showers.

\--------

An hour and a half after Kagami had left him alone at the piano with his thoughts, Kuroko felt nerves fill his stomach as he was led out on stage by a girl with too much perfume on, and shown to the bench in front of the piano. His fingers reached out for the keys, stroking along the top gently to find his place as the polite applause at his entrance died down to silence.

He wondered if Kagami was actually here, watching him. His stomach tightened again, which wasn’t like him. He generally didn’t feel as nervous as this, especially not at a university concert of all things. That a guy he’d only met once could cause his emotions to go haywire… he wasn’t sure what it meant. But he sure as hell wanted to find out.

The first note rang softly into the silence and he let his fingers move from memory, the music pouring out from his heart, his fears and worries and happiness and love flowing into the air until no one was left unaffected.

Kagami, sat at the back of the hall, watched in amazement as Kuroko’s hands moved surely, confidently, across the keys, creating music that swelled and ebbed, that flowed smoothly and harmoniously. Kagami couldn’t help but be impressed.

The time passed far too quickly, and Kuroko received a standing ovation for his performance, though he was unaware of this until he was led off stage and Kise was instantly all over him.

“Kurokocchi! That was amazing! Everyone else loved it too! They’re all standing for you!” the blond squealed excitedly.

Kuroko felt the nervous flutters transform into relief and not a little pride. He knew he shouldn’t be, but he was always a little surprised that he’d managed to do something like this, to be able to affect people even though he could no longer see them.

“Well done, Tetsu,” he felt a warm hand gently ruffle his hair and smiled in Aomine’s direction.

“Thank you, Aomine-kun,” he accepted graciously. “I didn’t know you were coming to see me.”

“Well practise ended just in time so we figured we’d come and take you out to dinner, to celebrate,” Kise explained, draping his arm around Kuroko’s shoulders.

“I see,” Kuroko murmured, ignoring the tiny flutter of disappointment in the part of him that had wanted to spend some time alone with Kagami, to get to know the stranger.

“Are you ready to go?” Aomine asked. “I’m starving.”

“Actually, I ran into Kagami-kun earlier and we also made dinner plans,” Kuroko explained apologetically, and suddenly felt Nigou tug slightly at his lead. “Here he is,” he added, turning in the direction Nigou pulled.

“Hey,” Kagami’s voice joined their conversation. His hand gently brushed Kuroko’s arm, letting him know he was standing on his right side. “I didn’t know you two were watching too.”

“Same goes here,” Aomine replied. “You gonna join us all for dinner?”

“Sure,” Kagami agreed, staring back at navy eyes. He’d wanted to get Kuroko alone for a second, to compliment him on his performance, but there wasn’t much chance for that now. He suppressed a sigh, but followed Kise and Aomine dutifully with Kuroko as they headed out, bickering on where to eat tonight.

\--------

They settled on a family restaurant and ordered quickly, everyone surprisingly hungry, even Kuroko. There wasn’t much interesting conversation before the food came, and that died down as everyone tucked into their food.

“Poor Kagamicchi. He can’t even use chopsticks,” Kise sighed as Kagami got up and headed to the toilet once their food had mostly been devoured. It had taken Kagami longer than usual, being unable to cut up his food properly and having to make do, but clearly rejecting any help from the other two with silent determination.

“Fucking about with a fork,” Aomine sighed. “Getting his hands burnt. What next? Breaking his leg?”

“What are you talking about, Aomine-kun?” Kuroko asked quietly, feeling concern flit through him.

“That idiot,” Aomine growled. “Jumped into a burning building.”

“What?” Kuroko frowned, hand stilling on Nigou’s back.

“Aominecchi,” Kise warned softly. “Don’t make it sound worse than it is. Kurokocchi, don’t worry. Kagamicchi volunteers down at the fire station a couple of times a week. Last Thursday, they were called out in an emergency because an elementary school was on fire. The way I heard it, someone left the school cat inside. One of the firefighters went in to save it but got trapped. Two more went to save him, but they couldn’t get him all the way out. So Kagamicchi rushed in to help. Not very far, only a few steps inside the building, but it was close enough to the flames that he burnt his hands and got a few cuts across his skin. He’s alright now, though!” Kise added. “It wasn’t too serious.”

Kuroko sighed, and was surprised at the level of relief he felt. For a man he’d only met twice, Kagami had made a surprising impression on him. Kuroko frowned inwardly, this didn’t usually happen.

Kagami came back a minute later, sighing as he slid into the booth.

“What’s up?” he asked, seeing Aomine frowning at him and Kise looking worried.

“Your hands,” Aomine snapped. “I still think you’re a fucking idiot.”

Kagami sighed and looked at the bandages around his fingers. “I couldn’t do anything else and stay sane,” he admitted. Even as, in trying to stay sane, he was having nightmares, and the dreams, the fire, the fear was slowly driving him insane at night. He wasn’t this weak. He’d always known the risks. He’d always been prepared and ready. So why was he suddenly so terrified? He’d come out safe. He’d got Kiyoshi out safe, well, without injuring him further. He’d come out lucky. They both had.

That was probably the problem, he admitted to himself. He’d been very lucky. If anything, one single thing, had gone differently, it would probably have been an entirely different story. Kiyoshi’s knee was ‘lucky’ in comparison to what could have happened, which couldn’t be considered normal by most other people’s standards. And Kagami’s burns were a constant reminder of what he could have lost. And even despite coming out fine, the idea was still there, right at the forefront of his thoughts.

“Plus my hands are fine,” he continued, forcing those thoughts out. He couldn’t think about it now. “No permanent damage.”

Aomine tsked but let the subject drop. “Anyway,” Kise jumped in brightly. “Shall we go? I’m exhausted.”

“I guess,” Aomine agreed and pulled out the bill so they could divide up the payments.

\--------

They left together. Kuroko’s apartment was closest so they all headed back there, splitting at the bottom of the stairs. Kise was exhausted, so Aomine excused them both and left Kagami and Kuroko alone at the door to the apartment building.

“Are you really okay?” Kuroko asked once he was mostly sure they were alone.

Kagami looked down at wide blue eyes staring dead ahead and a concerned frown and felt his stomach tighten. “I’m fine,” he murmured, half-truthfully. “My hands are mostly healed anyway.”

“It must have been terrifying though,” Kuroko returned, feeling his own hands go cold with fear as he imagined Kagami, or his mind’s image of Kagami anyway, jumping into fire.

“It was,” Kagami admitted. “But I couldn’t really think about it at the time.”

“And now?”

“I’ve got much more interesting things to be thinking about,” Kagami found the words spilling past his lips, and after a second also realised that what he had just said instinctively was true.

Kuroko wondered if he was just imagining the implications in that sentence.

“Like what?” he asked, deliberating how far he could push this.

Kagami flushed but pressed on, reaching out carefully and taking Kuroko’s delicate fingers in his own. Kuroko barely suppressed his startled jump at the feeling of fabric against his skin, and it took him a second to realise the rough texture must have been the bandages covering Kagami’s burns. He felt concern rise within him, but it was quickly doused with Kagami’s next words.

“Like when I’ll get to hear you play again,” Kagami worded his sentence carefully, hoping he wasn’t going too far. “You were amazing today.”

Kuroko smiled, but that dropped away and his breath hitched as he felt lips brush the backs of his fingers, a surprisingly smooth contrast to the bandages against his palm. His cheeks heated and he stared at where he assumed Kagami was.

“I hope it will be soon,” Kagami continued, his own cheeks on fire as he dropped Kuroko’s hand. “Goodnight, Kuroko.”

“Goodnight, Kagami-kun.”

Regaining his wits, Kuroko reached for his key and unlocked his door, encouraging the unusually still Nigou into the apartment and shutting it behind him. Flicking on the light switch for his dog though neither of them really needed the lights, he fed Nigou and made his way through the apartment to his bedroom, where he changed into his pyjamas and then just sat on his bed, his cheeks still flushed red.

Nigou appeared a second later, jumping up to sit on the bed with his head placed on his master’s lap, who petted him absentmindedly with the hand that hadn’t been kissed by Kagami.

What did that _mean_? Was Kagami definitely gay? Was that a sign of his interest? Kuroko wasn’t entirely sure. He couldn’t see to make sure, and it was starting to become frustrating. Surely Kagami had to be gay. Straight guys didn’t really go around kissing other guys’ hands. But was he interested? Did he know Kuroko was also gay?

Kuroko wished he could see, just briefly. He wanted to know what Kagami looked like. The other male was taller, fitter and more built than him, that was for sure. But other than that… Kuroko knew nothing.

Not having his sight had never really bothered him more than it had now. He’d gotten used to being unable to see, making his way around without visual clues. He had Nigou and he had his friends and he’d made himself content with that. He’d, albeit secretly, wished for a partner, one he could share his life with, but had forced himself to admit that he was just too high maintenance. He couldn’t do so many things, and would hold whoever loved him back.

He lay down, trying to ignore the wetness welling in his eyes as he ‘accepted’ his shortcomings for possibly the millionth time since he’d lost his sight. Nigou curled up closer to him as he sighed and shuffled over on the bed, pulling the covers over him roughly.

He was exhausted. He hadn’t realised how emotionally draining the last few hours had been. And so, with Nigou held carefully in his arms for comfort, Kuroko slipped quickly into sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so I don't want to leave a lot of notes but I just wanted to say thank you! to all of you out there again. the feedback for this fic has been phenomenal, over 1000 hits, 100 kudos and 50 subscribers already... the pressure is on aha ^.^
> 
> but omg you're all amazing, every one of youuuu <3 and I hope I don't disappoint any of you aha *^^*
> 
> also, thank you for all the comments, and I'm really sorry I can't get back to every one of them but exams/essay deadlines are drawing closer and if I could be graded for procrastination I'd get 100% aha.......


	5. Chapter 5

The next day Kuroko woke early, the thought of Kagami still on his mind and his fingers gently stroked the spot where the kiss had been placed the night before.

He got up and dressed, relieved that he still had more than a week’s worth of outfits left in his wardrobe. Brushing his hair roughly, he walked the ten paces to the bedroom door and then the thirteen that it took to the kitchen door on his right.

He had everything memorised. The number of paces, how far he’d have to reach to be able to touch an appliance, where everything was in his fridge and cupboards, all of it was so ingrained in his head that had anyone watched they’d have been convinced he could see exactly where he was going, what he was doing.

He heard the toaster pop as the coffee maker finished making his sweet, light vanilla latte and made his way back the four steps it took to cross his kitchen.

He’d just sat down to eat when the doorbell rang twice. Hearing the door open, Kuroko waited patiently as Momoi-san, one of his oldest friends and also his landlord, let herself in to his apartment and came to join him in the kitchen.

“Morning, Tetsu-kun,” Kuroko felt her hand gently brush through his hair a little, probably taming his bedhead even further. She did this every time she came, which was every other day in order to deliver his mail and let him know the general goings on. She also did his grocery shopping once a week and even his laundry when he was having a particularly hard time. She’d also helped him find a cleaner who came in once a week for his apartment, a chef who made a week’s worth of food for him since neither he nor she could cook, and numerous other things that Kuroko couldn’t do without. Kuroko was more grateful to her than he could ever admit. She was indispensable, and yet he couldn’t give her the one thing she wanted in return – his love. He felt guilty often, but she’d assured him more than once it was alright. Which didn’t make it necessarily _true_ , but there was little Kuroko could do otherwise, even if he’d had his sight.

“Good morning, Momoi-san,” Kuroko returned politely.

“So, your mail is as follows…”

Kuroko listened attentively as Momoi made herself a cup of coffee and explained his bills and other notices he’d received, though around half were irrelevant.

She washed up for him, despite Kuroko’s mild protest that he could do it himself.

“I know you can,” Momoi said practically. “But it doesn’t mean you can’t accept help here or there, Tetsu-kun.”

Kuroko sighed. It was a conversation they’d had more often than they should. But he just _hated_ feeling so _useless_. He’d come to terms with his blindness, but couldn’t always accept that he was unable to help those who helped him more than anyone should have to.

So he just sat and listened, fingers automatically going to the spot where Kagami had pressed his lips last night. He was still confused as to exactly what it _meant_.

Momoi helped to prep Nigou for the morning, though he was so obedient it took very little effort or time.

“Is he okay?” Momoi murmured, sounding concerned. “Kuroko, Nigou looks a little ill.”

“Nigou?” Kuroko murmured, and he frowned as his puppy gently pawed at his hand, the signal one they used when something was wrong and Nigou needed attention. “He probably needs to go to the vets,” he sighed, feeling bad that he hadn’t noticed anything yet.

“Do you want me to take him? I’m heading in that direction anyway. And I can drop you off at university on the way.”

“I-,” Kuroko stopped the automatic refusal. “I would appreciate it,” he said instead. “Thank you, Momoi-san.”

“Of course,” she waved off his gratitude.

The drive was a quiet one, Momoi dropping Kuroko off at the university after a shorter drive than he’d been expecting. Nigou was sat quietly in the backseat, and Kuroko hoped he was okay.

 “I’ll get the vets to call you as soon as they can,” Momoi murmured as a farewell as they pulled up outside university. Kuroko nodded in thanks and shut the car door, taking out his very-little-used white stick and recalling the number of steps it would take him to his classroom.

\--------

The morning was quiet for Kuroko, getting by without anything differing overly much. Some things were a little more difficult without Nigou by his side, but Kise or Aomine had heard from Momoi and often came to assist him between classes. They also found him at lunch once all of his lectures for the day were over and pulled him over to eat with them outside. The day was warm and Kuroko enjoyed the breeze that caressed his skin lightly as he sat on one of the fields with Kise and Aomine chatting jokily.

They laughed and joked as ordinary friends would, Kuroko’s heart feeling lighter than it had in recent months. He had good friends, he knew that. But, he had to concede that some of his happiness stemmed from the fact that Kagami-kun _did_ actually appear interested in him. Hopefully. That hadn’t happened since he’d lost his vision. And though he’d told himself it was to be expected, that it was for the best, he’d often selfishly wished for someone who’d see past that and take him as he was now.

So, naturally, he wanted to know more about the stranger he’d never seen before, who he’d never see, who was getting closer than most ever bothered to. Waiting for an opportune moment, it finally hit when Aomine excused himself to the restroom.

“Kise-kun?” Kuroko asked quietly, having been gathering courage for the last couple of minutes. Kise was a chatterbox, but Kuroko knew that despite his happiness and bright personality, the blond could keep a secret if needed to. “Is Aomine-kun back yet?”

Kise’s ears perked up, wondering what his friend wanted that Aomine couldn’t know. “Not yet, no,” he nodded, leaning close to the blue-haired shadow. “What’s up?”

“I was just wondering… what does Kagami-kun look like?” Kuroko’s voice was more serious than Kise was used to hearing and he wondered exactly what kind of feelings Kuroko harboured for the basketball player. Interest was obvious, Kuroko wouldn’t be asking otherwise, but if there were any deeper feelings Kise couldn’t discern them.

“Kagamicchi?” Kise leant back and stared at the sky. “He’s tall, about the same height as Aomine, only a centimetre shorter or so. Broad shouldered. He’s really quite handsome,” he mused, now only really thinking on it. “If I didn’t love Aominecchi so much, I probably would have made a move,” he said simply. “Dark red and black hair – kind of a weird combination but it works well on him. He wears a fierce expression half the time – it can be kind of terrifying, especially combined with his height. He’s usually in a black t-shirt and jeans when not in his basketball kit. Um… he’s always got this ring on a chain around his neck… Other things…” Kise mused. “His eyes are this weird reddish colour? I’ve never seen it before, I’m not sure how to explain it. Nice mouth though. But his eyebrows are really odd. They sort of split off into two different directions. I don’t understand how that works, either.”

“That doesn’t exactly sound handsome,” Kuroko commented dryly.

Kise laughed openly. “I guess not,” he agreed. “But he’s got strong features and it works well for him. And that body… I wouldn’t mind that above me any day,” he chuckled. “Just as ripped as Aominecchi, and that’s saying something.”

Kuroko said nothing to that.

Kise draped an arm around his small friend’s shoulders and squeezed him gently. “He’s a good guy,” he offered.

“I know,” Kuroko admitted. “I don’t know if I’m ready for a relationship or not.”

“Has he offered?” Kise was impressed. Ever since he’d become blind, Kurokocchi hadn’t met many new people who he’d actually let grow close. That Kagamicchi had, after only a couple of weeks… Kise hoped this was the start of better things for his old teammate.

Kuroko thought back to the kiss pressed to his hand. “Sort of,” he replied. “I’m not entirely sure.”

“Want me to ask?”

“No,” Kuroko shook his head. “It’s a kind offer but… I want to wait and figure it out for myself.”

“Alright then. Just let me know when he does,” Kise lounged back and stretched with a sigh. “If you need anyone to run interference or anything, let me know.”

“Thank you, Kise-kun. And… if you could-.”

“I won’t tell Aominecchi,” Kise laughed. “He’d blow a fuse. He might like Kagamicchi, but if he learnt about this he’d go nuts.”

“Really?” Kuroko frowned.

“Well,” Kise sighed and sat up again. “He did love you for a while, in high school. He only realised it when he lost your sight, and you and he were both going through so much shit then. So it didn’t last.”

“But he’s happy with you,” Kuroko frowned. “He always has been.”

“I know,” Kise agreed, and Kuroko could hear the soft smile in his voice. “But he wanted you first,” he countered pragmatically. “He’s so protective of you. I’m surprised you never noticed. It was pretty obvious to all of us. Even Midorimacchi noticed,” he added with a laugh.

“I…” Kuroko trailed off, unsure of what to say.

“Hey, Kurokocchi,” Kise sighed, ruffling his hair in the way he knew Kuroko hated. “Don’t worry about it. It’s long over. Aominecchi, I like to think, is happy with me. I’m happy with him at any rate. And you’ve got Kagamicchi now,” he teased.

“Not yet,” Kuroko replied, folding his arms.

“’Yet’, eh?” Kise laughed, catching the other boy’s wording. “So you want him.”

“Maybe,” Kuroko conceded with a quiet sigh. “I don’t know him well enough yet.”

“Well, find out. I’m sure he wouldn’t be adverse to it,” Kise patted him lightly on the shoulder. “But Aominecchi’s coming back now, so I’m going to talk about my modelling and you can just look as bored as always.”

And with that, Kise switched smoothly into talk of his latest shoot and Kuroko didn’t have to feign his lack of interest.

\--------

Half an hour later and Kuroko received a call from the vets saying Nigou was fine after some medicine and a little care, and could be picked up at any time that afternoon. Kise and Aomine had afternoon classes, so he waited for them both to leave before crossing the fields to the bus stops.

“Look out!”

Less than five minutes after he’d started walking, Kuroko felt a rough hand around his arm and he was pulled to a halt, just as he felt something go whizzing past his nose. He stumbled back, almost about to fall, but a warm arm caught him and held him upright, steadying him on his feet again.

“You okay?” the hand holding Kuroko upright let go, and he could feel a tall presence beside him. Kagami-kun. The familiar voice clicked in Kuroko’s head and he felt his stomach tighten, his hand automatically twitching with the remembered sensation of lips brushing skin lightly.

“I’m fine,” Kuroko replied, hand reaching down for the stick he’d dropped in his surprise.

“Wait,” Kagami’s hand stopped him from crouching and a second later, the handle of his stick was pressed gently into his open palm. “Sorry about that. Some idiots are playing Frisbee and I don’t think they saw you. You just missed getting hit.”

“Thanks to you,” Kuroko felt his stomach warm with something like relief.

“It’s nothing,” Kagami waved it off dismissively. “Where’s your do- where’s Nigou?” he asked, forcing the name out.

“At the vets,” Kuroko replied with a sigh. “He’s a little ill so they’ve kept him in for this afternoon for observation.”

“Don’t they give you another one, or something?” Kagami frowned as he automatically reached out and adjusted the slightly wonky collar on Kuroko’s shirt.

Kuroko fought down his blush as he felt fingers brush his neck delicately.

“Um,” he faltered, forgetting the question and the fingers in question jerked back like they were on fire.

“Sorry, your collar…” Kagami trailed off.

“Thanks,” Kuroko murmured, slightly surprised but warmed by Kagami’s kindness for even the littlest things – things that would barely make a difference to anyone else, but meant a lot to him. “And no, there’s no need really. I can generally manage around fine on my own for a day. Aside from stray Frisbees,” he added ruefully.

He heard Kagami chuckle and his stomach fluttered again. If this happened anymore often he’d pretty sure he’d be immune to the sensation, it was happening so frequently.

“Fair enough. Where are you heading, anyway?”

“To the bus stop,” Kuroko replied.

“I see,” Kagami murmured. “Well, I’m heading that way too. Do you mind if I walk with you? I can keep an eye out for any more stray Frisbees,” he added and Kuroko could hear the smile in the other male’s voice.

Kuroko felt a smile spread across his own lips and nodded. “I’d be grateful,” he accepted.

He almost jolted in surprise as a warm fabric – the bandages again – covered his hand and led it to a hard forearm which flexed gently under his touch. The skin was warm and silkier than he’d anticipated and his fingers curled around the limb almost unconsciously as Kagami thoughtfully helped him cross the field. It was mostly flat, which is why Kuroko liked walking this way, but when something was in the way Kagami would mention it, or he’d announce when they were changing direction and generally he was a much better guide than one would have expected.

“It’s like you’ve done this before,” Kuroko admitted as Kagami led them both to the bus stop. “Guiding me around.”

Kagami flushed and was a little glad, again, that Kuroko couldn’t see him. This was kind of embarrassing. “Well, whatever I can do to help. Which bus are you getting on?”

“The number four,” Kuroko replied. “I’m going to pick Nigou up from the vets, they called and gave the all clear earlier. But the driver generally recognises me, so I should be safe from here on out. Thanks for your help.”

“Oh. I’m, um, actually getting the same bus,” Kagami admitted. “I’m heading to the hospital.”

“Oh. How are your hands?” Kuroko asked, concern rising as he remembered to say something. He felt a little rude for not asking before, the surprising consideration Kagami had shown briefly distracting him.

“Alright,” Kagami answered. “This should be just to take the bandages off and make sure there’s no scarring or anything. I’m mostly going to visit a friend anyway.”

“The one you saved?” Kuroko guessed correctly.

“Yeah,” Kagami agreed, his voice quiet and solemn all of a sudden. Kuroko frowned.

“Are you okay?”

Kagami looked down into wide blue eyes and found his words catching in his throat. “I-,” he stopped and sighed, tilting his head back to stare at a patch of sky through the trees above them. “I will be.”

Kuroko couldn’t stop a frown and his hand automatically squeezed Kagami’s forearm gently. “Can I do anything to help?” he offered. “I know I can’t do much, being unable to see and all, but if there is anything I can do…”

Kagami looked back down at the honest face again, still facing away from him, and felt his stomach tighten. “Thanks. But, uh, it’s all just in my head. I’ll sort it out soon enough.” He hoped.

Kuroko nodded and offered a small smile, although Kagami could only see his profile. “Well if you do need to talk to anyone…”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks, Kuroko.”

“Of course,” Kuroko smiled.

“Ah, the bus is here,” Kagami said after a few seconds, watching the number four pull into the bus stop. “Ready?”

Kuroko nodded and let himself be led again towards the bus, helped up the small step and the driver’s warm welcome greeted him as he paid and headed to his usual seat.

“I’ll be fine from here, Kagami-kun,” he offered when he felt the taller boy hesitate behind him. “My stop is only in five minutes anyway.”

“Alright,” Kagami agreed, and Kuroko briefly felt the reassuring weight of a warm hand on his shoulder. “Hopefully see you around?”

Kuroko nodded. “I hope your friend is doing well.”

“Thanks.”

Kuroko was left in his seat and got off the bus five minutes later, wondering where Kagami had ended up sitting. He wanted to wave goodbye, but without knowing where the other boy was sitting was unable to. A touch of frustration flickered through him, but there was nothing he could do. So he forced himself to accept it and started the walk to the vets.


	6. Chapter 6

A little while later, Kagami had gotten his check up with an all-clear, and he was allowed to start practise again in a week, which relieved him more than he would admit. Following on from that, he got directions to Kiyoshi’s room and headed through the drab hallways to find his friend.

Kagami felt his heart pound as he knocked lightly on the door and stepped into the plain white room.

“Kagami!” Kiyoshi’s cheerful voice rang out. “It’s been a while.”

“Hey, Kiyoshi,” Kagami worked up a smile as he went to stand by the other male’s bedside. Kiyoshi looked the same as he always had and it went a little way to reassuring Kagami’s worry. “How’s it going?”

“Kind of boring,” Kiyoshi admitted, gesturing for Kagami to sit in the chair by his bed. “Stuck in here all day. I’ve been told to rest in bed for another couple of weeks while my knee heals up some more. Then we’ll start physiotherapy to get everything working as well as it can.”

Kagami nodded, and Kiyoshi’s face turned serious.

“I’ve been told you’re the one I have to thank for getting me out of there,” he said quietly.

“Well, uh, I-,” Kagami shrugged, not wanting to make a big deal out of it. “I didn’t really think. It was just something I could do to help.”

“Well thank you,” Kiyoshi said seriously.

Kagami shrugged, feeling unworthy of the praise. “Anyone else would have done the same.”

“True. But everyone else was a trained firefighter. And now you’re having nightmares.”

Kagami’s head jerked up and his eyes flew to Kiyoshi’s, surprised that the other male had comprehended what was going on so easily.

Kiyoshi offered him a soft, vaguely sad smile. “The fire is a greedy bastard,” Kiyoshi sighed. “And you understand you were lucky. That’s probably making it worse for you.”

Kagami just stared, amazed at Kiyoshi’s understanding.

“I was the same,” Kiyoshi explained, “after my first real fire. All of the training they put you through… you know you’ll be safe, that they’ll save you if you really need saving. The first time… it just seems so much more _real_. It’s life and death. Especially when things go badly like they did back there.”

Kagami nodded. “How do… how do you deal with it?”

“Well… dealing with it… there’s no real way you can. You just have to accept it,” Kiyoshi murmured, eyes breaking away from Kagami and staring at the wall blankly. “It’s real. You can’t change it. All you can do is save what you can and hope you get lucky every time by training for it, working for it. There’s never a guarantee it’ll be safe. But then, there’s no guarantee on life,” he added gently. “Any second of any day you could be hit by a bus, be involved in a random mugging. Millions of ways to be hurt or killed at the drop of a hat. So all you can do is help those who need it.”

Kagami sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “I know,” he admitted. “But it’s there every night. The fire.”

Kiyoshi sighed and gently placed a hand on Kagami’s shoulder. “It’ll get better. That’s what the team is for. We’ll support you to the end of the line.”

Kagami nodded, feeling a little better. Everyone else had stood behind him, had helped him. He’d somehow forgotten that. And it wasn’t just the team. Aomine, Kise, coach, even Kuroko to some extent had been there for him recently. It wasn’t just him. He wasn’t alone.

His heart feeling lighter, he met Kiyoshi’s eyes again and managed to crack a grin.

“Thanks,” he murmured awkwardly.

“Any time. Going back to the fire station soon?”

“Yeah. This week. I had make-up classes last Thursday.”

Kiyoshi grinned. “Good. They all want to see you. I think they’ve got a present for you.”

Kagami sighed and Kiyoshi laughed. “You’ll like it,” he promised.

“Alright,” Kagami nodded. “I’ll act surprised.”

Kiyoshi laughed again. “Well, you’d better get off,” he added, checking the clock. “Visitors hours are ending in five minutes. But I’ll be back at the station in a month or so, just on desk duty for a while until I get back up and running.”

“Alright,” Kagami nodded and stood. “And… thanks,” he added, looking down at the cheerful fire fighter. “For everything.”

“I should be saying that,” Kiyoshi replied with a softer smile. “Thanks. For my life. I owe you one.”

Kagami shook his head. “Anyone would do the same,” he shot back as he left.

“Not everyone,” Kiyoshi murmured as the door shut behind the redhead. He was glad Kagami had come to see him, had worried about his teammate’s mental state. But having judged him carefully, Kiyoshi believed the younger male to be strong enough to overcome this with little help. And if he had to nudge him in the right direction here or there… it was the least he could do in exchange for his life.

\--------

Kagami left the hospital feeling better than he had for the past week. He had help where he needed it. He wasn’t sure how he’d forgotten that, but knew he wouldn’t again.

He flexed his hands, feeling so much better now the bandages were removed. The skin was still a little pink and raw-looking, but the pain was gone and the doctor had assured him that he could go back to basketball practise as of Monday. He was relieved, almost three weeks without it had made him feel seriously stiff and slow, despite the extra exercise he’d been doing to make up for it, and to help burn off the excess energy coming from the nightmares, from the fear and frustration. But he hadn’t been able to do as much as he’d liked, and couldn’t wait to be forced back into pushing himself to his limits.

Heading back home, he decided to walk as he could do with stretching his legs out and getting some more fresh air. Talking to Kiyoshi had helped him clear his head, but he knew he’d still need some more time to fix the last few things still ricocheting around his brain. Things today might have helped, and the fact that he wouldn’t be left with any scars meant there wouldn’t be much of a reminder of the incident once he’d finished healing. But the memories would still remain, and if Kagami continued on this path… he’d end up in a similar situation at some point. It was pretty much guaranteed.

But even as he wondered if he could do it, he was certain he could. He _enjoyed_ the volunteering, enjoyed the people he worked with, what they did together, helping them help others. He’d be happy working with them. And, even now they were supporting him. When he wasn’t technically a member of the team, wasn’t a full-fledged firefighter. They were still there to support him.

Almost halfway home he cut through the park, grinning as he saw some kids playing street-ball and looking forwards to returning to playing next week. He watched them for a few more minutes, impressed with a couple of the kids and suddenly wondering how Tatsuya was doing. His ‘brother’ had moved back to the States after high-school to go to university over there. They hadn’t spoken in a few weeks, since Tatsuya had been reaching his own exam season and had little time for anything other than studying. Kagami made a mental note to message him later and moved on.

But he stopped in surprise when he saw a familiar dog chasing its own tail in a patch of grass not far away. Looking around, he found Kuroko sitting on a bench he’d just passed, and wondered how he’d missed him. To be fair, the smaller boy had a much weaker presence, but this was almost scarily low. How did anyone ever notice him?

“Kuroko?” Kagami debated whether he should approach him, but his own curiosity gave out and he headed over to where the blue-haired boy sat.

Kuroko frowned as a familiar voice reached his ears for the second time that day. “Kagami-kun?” he asked, surprised. What was the other male doing here? He wasn’t being followed, was he? Almost as soon as that thought popped into his head he shook it away. Despite being blind, Kuroko was generally a very good judge of character, and there was nothing sinister or worrying coming from Kagami.

“Mind if I sit?” Kagami asked, and Kuroko couldn’t find it in himself to say no.

“No, please do,” he replied cordially, and a hand carefully touched his arm as he felt someone sit down on his right.

“Nigou okay then?” Kagami asked, and pleased Kuroko immeasurably. From the way Kagami’s body stiffened up every time Nigou came close, it was clear Kagami either didn’t like dogs or was a little afraid of them, so the fact that he was asking made Kuroko quite happy.

“He’s fine,” he assured him. “Thank you for asking. How was your check-up?”

“It was fine,” Kagami nodded, then realised Kuroko couldn’t see him and felt a little stupid. “Kiyoshi – that’s my friend – is healing well.”

“That’s good,” Kuroko murmured, aware there was something else in that voice and wondering what was wrong. “He must have been very lucky that you were there.”

Kagami chuckled lowly but there was very little humour in the sound. “I doubt that. He’s injured his knee sort of irreparably,” he admitted, tilting his head up to stare at the sky, clear and blue. Kuroko said nothing, aware Kagami still had more to say. “He won’t be able to walk without some sort of support.”

Kuroko’s hand tentatively reached out, wondering if this was a good idea but wanting to do something to help reduce the dull ache he could hear in that low voice, and touched Kagami’s arm, fumbling a little before his fingertips landed on the end of a sleeve and he pressed his fingers to the warm skin underneath. “He would have been worse off if you hadn’t helped,” Kuroko murmured hesitantly. “So you did the right thing.”

“…I know,” Kagami conceded after a minute. Kuroko’s fingers were warm on his skin and he was silently amazed at the comfort, wondering if he could place his own hand over Kuroko’s or if that was going too far. “Thanks.”

“No problem,” Kuroko shook his head at the words. He hadn’t done anything worthy of thanks.

“Anyway,” Kagami sighed after another few minutes, “I was just heading home, the park is on the way, just in case you thought I was a weirdo or something.”

Kuroko felt a little flutter of relief flicker through him. He’d believed Kagami wasn’t following him, but it was kind of reassuring to hear the real reason as to why he was suddenly next to him again.

“I didn’t think that,” Kuroko denied softly. “Though it was a little unexpected,” he added wryly. “Nigou loves this park, so we often come here. I like sitting and listening, too, it’s peaceful here.”

Kagami hummed in agreement as he watched Nigou’s ears perk up at the sound of his name, but after the dog had judged he wasn’t needed for anything go streaking back across the grass, whilst staying in sight of his master.

“What are you doing tonight?” Kagami asked after a few minutes of sitting together in a comfortable silence, neither having anything particularly important to say, and both finding words unnecessary for the moment.

“I don’t have any plans,” Kuroko replied, a little confused as to where this would lead.

“Want to come back to mine for dinner?” Kagami offered, stretching his legs out a little and watching a little warily as Nigou came to sit at his feet. Kuroko felt warmth and a little anticipation curl through his stomach. Should he? He’d only met this man a few weeks ago, only really hung around him twice. Only been with him alone once. Was it really that safe? Of course he was Aomine and Kise’s friend, but… Kuroko knew he was going to ignore any warnings and go for it. There was just something about Kagami… something that messed with Kuroko’s head and made him feel… _warm._

“If it’s not going to be an intrusion…”

“Of course not,” Kagami denied, pleased Kuroko hadn’t declined.

“Then I’d love to,” Kuroko agreed softly, and this time Kagami didn’t miss the faint tinge of pink across Kuroko’s cheekbones. He didn’t comment on it, not entirely sure what it meant, and instead waited patiently while Kuroko put Nigou back onto his lead and agreed he was ready to go.


	7. Chapter 7

Kagami led Kuroko back the short walk to his with Kuroko’s hand on his forearm, and the smaller male had to admit he quite liked walking so close to Kagami. The heat of the basketball player seeped into his side, and the warm scent of him was really quite pleasing. The talk was amiable, both picking up from previous conversations, little phrases here and there that gave each other small insights into how the other thought, how he lived. And neither found anything to be displeased with.

They entered his apartment and Kagami was very considerate in leading Kuroko through the main rooms, giving him time to memorise the steps to everything he might need. He sat in the kitchen while Kagami made them dinner, and even cut Kuroko’s up to make things easy for him.

He was being so considerate, without making Kuroko feel like he was an intrusion or as if Kagami felt sorry for him. And, more than anything, Kuroko was amazed at the way Kagami was offering to help without making it sound like Kuroko was useless or worse, helpless. He couldn’t stop the feeling of pleasure and gratitude welling up inside him as he finished the frankly delicious meal.

“That was delicious, thank you Kagami-kun,” Kuroko murmured as he put down the knife and fork.

“Do you want any more?”

“I’m quite full, thank you,” Kuroko shook his head.

Once Kagami had finished his own portion they moved to the lounge, settling on a comfy leather sofa that was smooth under Kuroko’s fingertips from good use. Nigou was curled up in the corner with a bowl of water and some leftover chicken that Kagami had very kindly found for the dog. They spoke for a couple more hours, both continuing to get to know each other and finding everything surprisingly _easy_ between them.  Kagami was feeling relaxed and extremely pleased with the way Kuroko was opening up to him, relieved that Kuroko was willing to chat and hang out with him, even though they barely knew each other.

It was about eight o’ clock when Kuroko finally became a little frustrated with himself, with the situation. He couldn’t see Kagami, could only feel the heat of his body next to his, the movements of his body as he gestured, as his hand brushed Kuroko’s arm or his knee brushed Kagami’s thigh, could only hear the deep voice as he spoke, the warm laugh when he chuckled. And while all of that was wonderful, made him feel warm and fuzzy and calm, he wanted _more_.

“Could I touch you?” Kuroko asked primly, interrupting one of those warm laughs.

Kagami stared for a long second. “What?” he asked dumbly, not sure he’d heard right.

“Your face. I… this sounds weird, but it helps me ‘see’,” Kuroko made quotation marks with his fingers, flushing. He was blunt, it was a widely accepted fact, but sometimes he wished he could hold the words back a little better. “I can’t see visually, but I can map things out with my hands. I…”

“Sure,” Kagami murmured, “One sec.”

Wondering how it would be best to do this, Kagami decided to kneel in front of the sofa. Kuroko’s hands rested gently in his lap, so Kagami took his fingers gently and brought them to his cheeks. Flushing a little under the cool fingertips, Kagami watched Kuroko as blue eyes stared to the left of his face and skin gently pressed against his skin.

“Is this really weird?” Kuroko murmured.

Kagami shrugged. “We’re friends. If this helps you then I’ll do whatever.”

Kuroko felt a flush of pleasure at that. They’d only known each other for a month, only been alone together twice, this the third time. Yet Kagami was already calling him a friend. While he’d never been obviously shunned for his blindness, most people he met often took very little interest in him. His lack of presence and the problems he caused by being unable to see meant he wasn’t exactly someone that people _remembered_. And he’d been content with Aomine, Kise and the other guys he’d played basketball with, who’d liked him for him and stayed with him despite all of his drama. So Kagami’s acceptance of all of him, while extremely welcome, was also somewhat of a surprise.

“What colour is your skin?” Kuroko asked quietly, his fingers travelling along cheekbones and taking in the surprisingly soft texture across his skin.

“Uh, I dunno. Darker than you. Paler than Aomine. Kind of a middle shade?” Kagami offered. Kuroko tried to imagine it, but his memories of colours were slowly becoming hazy. It frustrated him to no end, but he’d been told time and time again that it couldn’t be helped, that without constant reminders and images, which was obviously impossible, he might not retain those memories.

Fingers slid across a strong jaw, sharp cheekbones, back towards ears and into soft, surprisingly silky hair.

“Your hair?” Kuroko asked, despite the basic description he already had from Kise.

“Reddish, I guess. Kind of dark?” Kagami sounded slightly uncertain. “I don’t really look at myself that often, to be honest.”

Kuroko smiled and pulled his hands back. “Thank you,” he murmured simply.

“That enough?” Kagami blushed instantly, glad Kuroko couldn’t see his burning cheeks. “I mean…”

Kuroko couldn’t stop a smile, able to tell Kagami was flustered from his voice. He wondered what kind of face Kagami was making. Did he blush? Did he look down? Or close his eyes? What kind of habits did his body have?

“That was enough,” Kuroko confirmed softly. “Thank you.”

Kagami just shrugged. “Any time. I’ll do whatever I can to help you.”

Kuroko felt warm again. “You’ve already done too much,” he murmured. “I haven’t thanked you for that yet.”

“No need,” Kagami cut him off, his hands going over Kuroko’s on his lap unexpectedly. Kuroko’s hands twitched under the larger ones but before Kagami could fully withdraw, assuming he’d gone too far, Kuroko’s hands had turned over and his fingers were wrapping clumsily around Kagami’s. “Like I said, we’re friends. This is nothing.”

“Kagami-kun,” Kuroko felt his heart stop, his throat dry up and his stomach tighten. But the words just wouldn’t come, despite them burning for release on the tip of his tongue. Mind racing frantically for ways he could show what he wanted to say, only one thing came to mind.

So he lifted his hands slowly and pressed his lips to the back of Kagami’s hand, mimicking what Kagami had done the week before. He felt his cheeks burn, but it was too late now anyway.

Kagami stared as an attractive flush rose to Kuroko’s pale cheeks, as heat shot through him where soft lips touched his skin. Acting on instinct, he rose so he was crouching in front of Kuroko instead, leaning over him on the sofa. One hand left Kuroko’s, holding instead onto the back of the sofa to support himself as the other gently brought Kuroko’s hands down.

Kuroko barely knew what was happening, but before he could panic and wonder if he’d ruined things, something hot and unfamiliar was brushing his mouth.

He froze, stunned, it taking a few seconds to register that what he was feeling was Kagami’s _lips_. But before he’d fully comprehended the situation, Kagami was already pulling back, feeling awkward.

“Wait,” Kuroko murmured, hands clenching around the one he still held. Kagami stilled and Kuroko thanked fate for small favours. “Again.”

Red eyes jolted back to unseeing blue, uncomprehending for a long second. “I was surprised,” Kuroko offered, a tiny smile gracing his lips. “Sorr-.”

He was cut off as the soft pressure returned, a little more firmly now Kagami was assured that Kuroko _did_ want this, relief filling the taller boy to an unparalleled degree. Prepared this time around, the shadow returned the pressure against chapped lips, feeling his eyes closing as warmth started to radiate throughout him.

One of Kuroko’s hands left Kagami’s, reaching up and somehow perfectly landing on the other boy’s cheek. Sliding back into soft hair, Kuroko just held on as the feel and taste of Kagami sent heat spiralling through him.

It had been so long since he’d felt anyone else this close. His stomach flipped as Kagami’s hand left his with a squeeze and also slid to his nape, using a thumb to gently angle his head so his mouth could settle over Kuroko’s more comprehensively.

Feeling slightly giddy, Kuroko’s lips parted before Kagami even asked for entry, his tongue boldly stroking along the larger boy’s lower lip.

“Kuroko,” Kagami murmured against his mouth, biting Kuroko’s lower lip lightly. Kuroko felt the heat in his veins rise another degree and couldn’t stop his hand from clenching in Kagami’s hair.

Kuroko pulled back, feeling out of breath. He desperately wanted to know what Kagami looked like in that moment, with kiss-swollen lips and hair that had had fingers raked through it. The heavy breathing caressing his nose told him that Kagami was just as affected as he was, and Kuroko wondered if that would be true all over the redhead’s body.

“Kagami-kun,” Kuroko whispered, shivering a little as Kagami’s hand stayed on his neck, thumb caressing the line of his jaw. “What are we doing?”

“Kissing,” Kagami replied, sounding a little confused. “I thought that was obvious?”

“I mean…” Kuroko flushed. “Is this just a one-time thing?”

Kagami stared into blue. Kuroko was biting down on his lower lip and Kagami wanted to replace Kuroko’s teeth with his own.

“I don’t want it to be,” he replied slowly, a little confused as to where Kuroko was going with this. “Do you want it to be a one-time thing?”

“No,” Kuroko shook his head, relief flowing through him at Kagami’s answer. “But… this isn’t exactly going to be easy. Us.”

“So?” Kagami replied and, tired of kneeling, moved to sit on the sofa next to Kuroko, wrapping his arm around the smaller boy’s shoulders and pulling him close to his side. “I don’t care. I like you, exactly as you are. Do you like me?”

Kuroko nodded. “I do,” he replied. “Of course I do. I just… I’m not the easiest person to date. And we haven’t exactly known each other for that long…”

He felt Kagami shrug. “We’ll make it work. So what if we’re not traditional? As long as we can have a good time together, be happy together, I don’t care what we do. Plus I want to get to know you. What better way than to be with you?”

Kuroko felt his heart thump heavily at the honestly accepting tone of Kagami’s words and turned his face into Kagami’s shoulder, pressing his face into the warmth and inhaling the smell of him.

“Thank you,” he whispered, too quiet for Kagami to hear. The redhead just held him close for a long while, before his phone chimed with an incoming call.

“Ugh,” Kagami groaned and Kuroko pulled back, suddenly cold without Kagami-kun’s body heat soaking into his side. “Sorry, Kuroko.”

He shook his head. “Its fine,” he assured Kagami, and felt the sofa move as Kagami got up. “I should probably get home anyway,” he added somewhat reluctantly.

“Give me five to answer this and I’ll take you back,” Kagami murmured, leaning down close to press a quick kiss to Kuroko’s lips before picking up his still-chiming cell phone and stepping into the kitchen.

Kuroko flushed at the unexpected casual movement, pressing his fingers to his lips as if he could burn the sensation onto his mouth forever. Kagami was just so _understanding_ , Kuroko didn’t quite get it. He didn’t hate it, far from it, but it was a little baffling to him. With a quiet sigh, he laced his fingers and relaxed, wishing again that he could look around and see what Kagami’s apartment looked like, what clues it could give him about his new boyfriend.

He paused. _Boyfriend_. Such an odd word. He’d never had a proper one of those before. When he’d turned blind, he’d found a few guys who said they didn’t care, but it had always been made clear that it would be a short ‘friends-with-benefits’ type relationship, which although tempting, hadn’t been what he knew he wanted. So to actually be dating someone now… it was a first.

“Sorry,” Kagami came back into the room five minutes later and Kuroko stood up, shaking his head.

“Its fine,” he reassured him. “Is anything wrong?”

“Nah. It was just the guys at the fire station making sure I’m going in tomorrow. Apparently they have a present for me,” he added, sounding flustered. Kuroko smiled and reached out a hand. Kagami almost instantly took it, lacing his fingers through Kuroko’s smaller ones.

“I’m sure they’re all grateful for your help,” Kuroko offered.

Kagami chuckled. “I fuck up a lot,” he admitted, “but I do get some things right. They’ve helped me more than anything, though.”

Together, they headed out of Kagami’s apartment and towards the train station back towards Kuroko’s home. Kuroko’s hand, as usual, was on Kagami’s forearm, Nigou happily walking besides him. They talked for a while, mostly about Kagami’s volunteering at the fire station, and Kuroko could hear the pleasure and fondness in his voice towards his colleagues for the work he did.

The train ride was short, and the walk to Kuroko’s apartment even shorter. Kuroko lived on the bottom floor, and Kagami showed him to his door.

“Can I have your phone number?” he asked, realising he didn’t actually have a way to contact Kuroko yet.

Kuroko flushed, but nodded and reeled it off from memory.

“So… I’ll call you?” Kagami offered, saving Kuroko’s number into his phone. “And maybe we could go for dinner or something?”

“That sounds good,” Kuroko agreed softly, hand on his front door. “Thank you for dinner, Kagami-kun.”

“Anytime,” Kagami returned. “Goodnight, Kuroko.”

Kuroko hesitated as he heard Kagami start to take a step away. But fuck it. He wanted to kiss Kagami again, before the night was over. So reaching out into empty space, praying that this would work, he was relieved as a hand caught in Kagami’s shirt. The other male froze, turning back towards Kuroko, waiting for the other male to make his next move, a little confused.

Kuroko took a tentative step forwards. He’d never tried to do this before, so his other hand was quite clumsy as he reached up towards Kagami’s face, hitting his jaw and then moving upwards as he lifted himself onto his tiptoes.

Kagami realised what Kuroko was trying to do a second later and bent down, pressing his lips to the soft ones that tasted of vanilla. They kissed for a long moment, slow and soft and chaste, before Kuroko dropped from his toes and offered a soft smile up at Kagami.

“Goodnight, Kagami-kun,” he murmured softly, turning back to his door.

“Goodnight,” Kagami replied, waiting until the door shut behind the blue-haired boy before turning and heading back home, stomach fluttering with happiness and a little bit of anticipation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to say thank you to all of you againn <3 honestly, this fic has been the best received of all of mine, and the kudos/comments/subscriptions/everything has just been phenomenal <3   
> I am sorry I'm not getting back to comments right now - essays/exams are looming closer and I am bricking it. (I'm also 3 weeks behind on knb season 3 and my soul hurts but I have no time *sobs*)   
> BUT has anyone else been listening to REGAL GENERATION (aka Teiko basukebu character song?) It literally got me through my all-nighter last night ahahaha.   
> long message, sorryyyy. but thanks again for reading, and see you next week! <3


	8. Chapter 8

Kuroko woke up in the morning vaguely bewildered. Memories of yesterday flooded into his head, face heating as he remembered his confession and the kisses. Rolling over, he pressed his face into the pillow and took a deep breath, trying to dampen the smile helplessly spreading across his face.

He felt stupid, but couldn’t help the sheer delight radiating throughout him, the warmth that flooded his every cell.

He was _wanted_.

It might have sounded stupid, but for a semi-helpless blind person who only ever caused trouble for others, Kuroko could barely believe that someone he’d only technically just met was willing to go out of their way for him. Was willing to _go out_ with him.

Taking a few deep breaths, he pulled his face out of the pillow and carefully sat up, feeling for the edge of the bed and swinging his legs over the side. Standing, he took the seven steps to his bathroom door and then the four to the toilet, before turning to the shower and using the handrails to measure how far it was to the switch and so on. Months of getting used to this had made it almost easy for him, and Kuroko found himself _humming_ in the middle of his shower, a silly little smile on his lips.

He immediately schooled himself back to his usual expression. But it was no good. He was… _happy_. It might have only been a small happiness, a tentative happiness, since who knew when Kagami might change his mind? But for now, Kuroko was going to take things as they came.

He followed the rest of his routine, dressing and eating. Momoi wasn’t coming this morning so he listened to the radio for weather announcements and so on, to see if he’d need his umbrella or anything. The report indicated clear skies so he only pulled on a light jacket, fetched Nigou’s leash and let his dog lead him out of the apartment and towards the bus stop, knowing it was probably silly but feeling optimistic about the days to come.

\--------

Kagami yawned, slapping at his alarm clock to shut it up. Just five more minutes…

Kuroko. Kagami’s eyes snapped open, instantly awake as he remembered last night. His stomach churned with a mixture of remembered nerves and delight, unable to believe he’d actually been able to confess, and that it had been accepted.

And while he understood Kuroko’s point, knew that this would be different, being something that Kagami had no experience in, he really hoped it would work out. He wasn’t sure what it was about the smaller boy that attracted him so, but he hoped that Kuroko would be willing to be patient, would be willing to take it at a pace where they could really learn about each other and what they each needed.

With a quiet but content sigh, Kagami rolled out of bed. It was Thursday, and finally time for him to head back to the fire station. His stomach growled, covering up the sensation of nerves fluttering in his belly and he pulled on his usual sweats and t-shirt as he headed into the kitchen for food.

He left as soon as he’d eaten, despite still having a few minutes to spare, and used the time to take a slightly more leisurely pace to the fire house. He knew he shouldn’t really be, but he was nervous. Although he hadn’t been scolded too badly for his actions, and he had done the right thing, he wasn’t sure exactly how everyone else would react to what he’d done. He was pretty sure they wouldn’t do anything too drastic, and he’d been allowed to stay on which was the biggest relief.

Forcing those thoughts away and standing up a little taller as he approached the station, he swung in through the normal door and felt a little bit of guilty relief when no-one but Riko was there to greet him.

“How are your hands?” was the first thing she asked, and Kagami held up his now bandage-free palms.

“All good to go,” he promised, “As of yesterday.”

She nodded sharply, and Kagami wondered if the expression that flickered across her face really was relief as it seemed to be.

“Good,” she said. “Anyway, go and help out with the trucks as usual. If you have any problems, don’t hide it, okay?”

Kagami nodded, and blinked as an extremely rare soft smile was aimed his way. “It’s good to have you back,” was all she said before heading back into her office.

Kagami blinked again, a little stunned, having not expected any kind words from Riko, but he found a little stupidly relieved smile spreading to his lips as the nerves in his belly eased up a little.

He headed down the pole to the main garage where the trucks were, and found most of the rest of the guys he worked with standing there waiting for him.

“Uh, mornin’,” Kagami greeted hesitantly when none of them said anything, just watched him. It was really quite unnerving and he found himself swallowing and pausing before he could take a step forward.

Hyuuga was the first to break the silence. “Mornin’,” he returned, stepping forwards out of the group. “How’re the hands?”

“All good,” Kagami nodded, holding them up to show everyone. The new skin was yet still a little pink looking, but not so much that it seemed unnatural anymore.

“Good,” Hyuuga replied shortly. “Anyway, before we put you back to work, we’ve got a present for you.”

Kagami blinked, nodding hesitantly.

Mitobe and Koganei, two of the guys who had been at the scene at the school, operating the hoses, brought over a surprisingly large box.

Kagami blinked again as they handed it over to him.

He looked up to find everyone watching him expectantly. With a nervous tug, he pulled off the string holding the lid on and pulled it off, and stared at what he saw.

It was an actual fireman’s uniform. His very own.

“Since the other one didn’t fit you,” Hyuuga murmured softly, standing not too far away. “We know you’re not allowed on cases for six months, and that you might not even join the force depending on where your basketball takes you. But even so, you did us a great service at a great risk to yourself, and we wanted to pay you back for that. This way you’ll never forget what you did for us, and that you’ll always be one of us.”

Kagami stared as the usually brash Captain got a little sentimental. A couple of the guys jeered and Hyuuga snapped back at them, but also seemed to revert to his usual sense thanks to it.

“Anyway,” he continued more gruffly. “Riko had it sized so it’ll fit.”

“Thank you,” Kagami finally managed to force out words. “All of you.”

Everyone grinned back at him.

“Anyway!” Hyuuga broke the moment. “That’s enough dicking about. Get back to work, all of you. Bakagami, you’re helping wash the trucks for the next month. We’ll decide what to do with you after that when the time comes.”

Kagami nodded, still in not just a little awe of his present, wishing he could try it on, see how it fit. But it would have to wait for later as the crowd dispersed, a few slaps on the back for Kagami as some of the guys passed by him.

He worked hard for the rest of the day, and felt exhausted at the end despite having only washed two trucks with the help of several other firefighters. No-one really mentioned the primary school incident again, and Kagami was rather glad of it. Although he didn’t feel bad being in the fire station again, he still preferred as few reminders as possible of three weeks ago.

Heading home once the day’s jobs were done and he’d been taken out for a couple of drinks and food by the guys at the station, he hung his new suit up with not a little pride before collapsing onto the bed with a groan, feeling muscles he hadn’t used in two weeks protest at the sudden return to hard training and work.

Staring at the ceiling, he let out a sigh of relief as he relaxed, closing his eyes as sleep rose to take him, blue eyes crossing his vision as he sank into slumber.

\--------

It wasn’t until Monday when Kagami finally gathered the courage to call Kuroko. He’d hoped to meet him on campus, to invite him out properly, but was suddenly hit with a ridiculous amount of work out of the blue and didn’t have the time to seek him out.

He’d intended to do it over the weekend, but despite being relatively confident in himself, Kagami wasn’t exactly sure how to talk to Kuroko over the phone. What would he say? Then there was the fact that Kagami wanted to take Kuroko on a date that would mean something to the both of them, that would provide everything that Kuroko needed without making him feel as if Kagami pitied him. Because it was just the opposite. Kagami didn’t know how Kuroko had come to be so strong. As an experiment, the redhead had blindfolded himself and tried to walk around his apartment, which had only resulted in several bumps, bruises and curses echoing through the rooms. He’d felt stupid, and knew it probably wasn’t even how Kuroko felt, but he’d wanted to get some idea of how the blue-haired boy lived.

All he’d really comprehended was that it was _hard_. Japan was better than the US at some of the provisions for the blind, like the yellow tactile paving which was almost everywhere, but elsewhere… Kagami wasn’t sure how Kuroko did it. So Kagami had spent the weekend trying to think of things that they could do together, with very little progress. And he’d eventually decided that rather than fucking things up, he might as well _ask_ Kuroko what he wanted to do, or what he enjoyed doing and do that instead.

So, between classes on Monday his thumb hesitated over Kuroko’s name, before on a quick surge of adrenaline-based courage, pressed down and brought the device to his ear, his heart pounding in his throat.

It took a few rings to go through, and when it did he couldn’t stop his quiet sigh of relief.

Kuroko, on the other end of the line, heard the sigh and felt his stomach flutter. He’d secretly been hoping for Kagami to call him all weekend, to no avail. And while he understood the basketball player was extremely busy, as even lazy Aomine’s schedule was jam-packed with basketball practise, and understood that Kagami had a lot of things to do on top of that, he hadn’t been able to stop the flutters of disappointment deep in his belly.

But the flutters this time were of anticipation, of hope, as he spoke down the receiver.

“Hello?”

“Kuroko? It’s, uh, it’s Kagami,” the rough voice came down the line and the butterflies in his stomach exploded into a frenzy.

“Hi,” Kuroko said again, feeling stupid instantly. “Uh, how are you?”

“I’m good,” Kagami replied, “You?”

“Fine,” Kuroko replied.

Silence fell for a moment, both feeling awkward and not sure of what to say.

“Ah- so,” Kagami was the first to break the silence. “I was just wondering if… um, say you were free on Friday?”

Kuroko felt a stupid smile spread to his lips against his will. “I have a concert until seven,” he replied quietly, “but I could do after that?”

“Sounds good,” Kagami agreed. “Is the concert on campus?”

“No, at the town hall,” Kuroko admitted.

“Wow,” Kuroko could hear the blatant surprise in Kagami’s voice and wondered what that meant. “That’s awesome!” he added after a few seconds. “I- I’ll come and pick you up from there then?”

Kuroko felt excitement flicker through him as he agreed. Kagami gave a few parting words, promising to call again before he hung up, having a class to go to.

“Was that Kagamicchi?” Kise asked, and Kuroko jumped a little remembering his friends were there.

“Yes,” Kuroko nodded.

“You finally got together then?” Kise teased lightly, and Kuroko could almost imagine the cheeky grin that would be crossing the blond’s face.

“We did,” he replied simply, fingers threading through Nigou’s fur gently as his dog napped in his lap.

“He treating you right?” Aomine asked gruffly.

“We haven’t actually been on a date yet,” Kuroko admitted softly. “But he’s been very good to me so far. Thank you, Aomine-kun.”

“Hmph,” Aomine ruffled his hair lightly, “Just be careful, Tetsu.”

Kuroko nodded, offering a small smile in the ace’s direction. “I will,” he promised.

“Well, shall we get going then?” Kise asked brightly. “I’m starving.”

They left together, Kuroko’s heart thumping in anticipation for Friday. It was a while away, but maybe he’d get to see Kagami before then. And even if he didn’t, he had a _date_. Probably his first ever. So with a happy little smile flickering across his face, he followed his friends to the restaurant and looked forwards to Friday.


	9. Chapter 9

Kagami only became more and more nervous the closer Friday drew near. He still had no idea what to do with Kuroko, and was varying wildly between a fancy restaurant, or a _musical_ , of all things, having found one that was mostly dialogue heavy and therefore probably suitable for the blind. Or so the review had said anyway, when Kagami had googled it.

He sighed as he entered the changing room for practise on Wednesday, still at a loss of what to do. He could ask Kuroko what he wanted to do, but would that seem like he hadn’t cared about the date at all, the fact that it looked like he didn’t even have any plans? Kagami didn’t know, and it made him feel stupid. Well, stupider than usual.

He sighed again, changing into his kit, and looked up when Kise walked into the room, grinning brightly when he saw the redhead.

“Kagamicchi!” the blond dumped his bags next to Kagami’s and started changing into his own kit. “I heard you’re taking Kurokocchi out on Friday.”

“Uh, yeah. What about it?” Kagami wasn’t sure what Kise thought of his and Kuroko’s relationship, since he was one of Kuroko’s oldest and closest friends, and Kagami a newcomer.

“Got any plans?” Kise asked amicably.

Kagami sighed, sitting down. “I don’t know,” he admitted lowly. “I was thinking dinner, obviously. But I don’t know what Kuroko likes, or where would be a good place to take him. And then… if his concert doesn’t finish until seven will he be too exhausted for something like a play? Will he even _enjoy_ a play? Or…” Kagami ran a hand over the back of his neck with another sigh. “I suck at this.”

Kise smiled softly, pleased at the show of honesty. “Kurokocchi doesn’t like being out in public a lot,” he confided in him quietly. “His concerts are one thing, but he likes his privacy, his quiet space. Especially if it’s regarding something that’s important to him.”

“But if I just took him back to mine, wouldn’t that look like I was pushing things?” Kagami asked with a sigh. He’d thought of that too, thought of being able to feed Kuroko again, and liked the idea.

Kise contemplated that for a long moment. “I don’t think so,” he shook his head. “Just don’t push.”

Kagami blinked, the answer so simple. He’d still check with Kuroko, see if the blue-eyed boy would rather be taken somewhere, but for now he’d roll with that.

“Thanks, Kise,” he said, standing up as the model finished tying his laces.

“Of course!” Kise replied. “I want _all_ the details, though, okay?”

Kagami hadn’t even opened his mouth to refuse when Kise had sprung forward with a bright grin and headed into the gym first.

\--------

It was early Thursday evening when Kuroko received a phone call. Momoi was in his kitchen, explaining what food he had for the next week and where she was storing it, though it was mostly the same as ever so admittedly he hadn’t been focusing very hard on her words.

He excused himself and fumbled for the green button on his phone, unsure of who it was, but hoping it would be the redhead. 

“Hello?”

“Ah- Kuroko?” the deep voice echoed down the line and Kuroko felt his stomach twist into knots.

“Hello, Kagami-kun,” Kuroko murmured softly.

“Hey. How’s it going?”

“Well, thank you,” Kuroko replied cordially. “How are you?”

“I’m good,” Kuroko could almost hear Kagami nodding down the phone and had to suppress a smile. “Anyways, about tomorrow…”

“Yes?”

“I’ll come pick you up from your concert?” Kagami checked.

“That would be good,” Kuroko agreed. “I’ll ask the manager to put you on the guest list, so if you go to reception they should show you backstage.”

“That’d be brilliant,” Kagami sounded a little relieved. “Thanks. Anyway, I was wondering what you wanted to do? I’ve been thinking and have some ideas, but didn’t know if there was anything in particular you’d prefer to do?”

Kuroko felt the smile he’d been supressing turn his lips up anyway. So thoughtful. “Not particularly,” he declined, his other arm around his stomach as he squeezed himself to try and contain his joy.

“Well, I was thinking we could either go out for dinner, or if you wanted I could cook for you again? I didn’t know which you’d prefer…”

“I enjoyed Kagami-kun’s cooking,” Kuroko said simply, feeling his stomach flip impatiently. He didn’t want to have to wait a full day. “If you don’t mind cooking for me, that is.”

“Of course not,” Kagami replied instantly, pleasing Kuroko even more. “Any foods you can’t eat, or don’t particularly like?”

“Not really,” Kuroko replied, thinking on it. “Thank you for asking.”

“Of course,” Kagami replied, again a little bluntly but in a good way. “Anyway,” he continued, “I just wanted to check you were all good for tomorrow, really.”

“I am. I’m looking forwards to it,” Kuroko confessed a little hesitantly.

“Me too,” Kagami replied honestly, and Kuroko felt the smile twitch a degree higher. “Anyways, I’ll let you get back to whatever you were doing, and see you tomorrow.”

“Okay,” Kuroko agreed, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Bye, Kuroko.”

“Goodbye, Kagami-kun.”

The call ended with a couple of beeps and Kuroko shut his phone, sliding it back into his pocket.

“Who was that, Tetsu-kun?” Momoi asked, and Kuroko felt her hand take his and wrap it around the handle of his mug as the scent of fresh coffee wafted over to him.

“I, um, I have a date, tomorrow,” Kuroko admitted, feeling his cheeks heat.

“I see,” Momoi’s voice was neutral, giving nothing away. “With whom?”

“Um, Kagami-kun. He’s one of Aomine-kun and Kise-kun’s teammates,” Kuroko explained. “We met a few weeks ago.”

“I see. I know him,” Momoi’s voice had lightened a degree and Kuroko wondered what that meant. “He’s as good as those two when it comes to basketball.”

Kuroko blinked. To have something said like that was praise indeed. Aomine had already been amazing when Kuroko had played with him, way beyond the realm of possibility, almost. And Kuroko was sure the lazy teen had only progressed since. So to think that there was also someone out there at the level of the Miracles… Kuroko wished he could see it for himself.

“So he’s cooking for you?” Momoi hummed, and Kuroko heard the soft scrape of the chair legs against the floor as she pulled back a chair and presumably sat down. “I didn’t know Kagamin cooked.”

_Kagamin?_ Kuroko thought, a little surprised. Momoi only ever gave nicknames to people she honestly liked. So Kagami-kun was friends even with the data genius. He shouldn’t have been surprised, really.

“Well he does live alone…” Kuroko explained softly.

“Hmm,” Momoi hummed again. “What are you two doing then?”

Kuroko shrugged a little, “He’s picking me up from my concert tomorrow night. Then we’re going back to his for food.”

“That’s a little fast, isn’t it?” Momoi’s voice was filled with concern.

Kuroko’s stomach flipped, having not thought about that side of things yet. “I…”

“Sorry, Tetsu-kun,” Momoi’s hand landed over his and squeezed gently. “I didn’t mean it that way. Kagamin’s a gentleman, you know. He won’t do anything you don’t want. He’s really quite sweet.”

Kuroko nodded, feeling a little reassured. He liked Kagami-kun, but having had no experience in anything romance, let alone sex and all of those things that came along with it, he was a little nervous.  And Momoi was a good judge of character, Kuroko believed her. She wouldn’t lie to him.

“Anyway, I left your good suit on the right-hand side of your wardrobe,” Momoi changed the topic smoothly. “For the concert tomorrow. I’m sorry I can’t come, but I have a date too, you know.”

“Really?” Kuroko sipped his coffee, interested but pleased for his friend. She deserved someone who could look after her properly.

“Yeah. He’s just a regular customer at the shop,” Momoi explained. “But he’s sweet, even if he does apologise for everything, all the time. He’s really good at cooking too,” she added thoughtfully.

“I’m glad you’ve found someone,” Kuroko murmured softly.

“Same here,” Momoi agreed, and Kuroko heard the sound of the chair again as she stood up. The sink came on a few seconds later and Kuroko waited patiently, knowing it was about time his friend would have to leave to get home. “Anyway, I’m sorry but it’s late and time for me to go. Good luck with your concert tomorrow, and your date,” Momoi said, coming over to hug Kuroko tightly.

“Thank you, Momoi-san. You too, good luck with your date. I’ll see you on Sunday.”

Momoi nodded, Kuroko able to feel it as her hair brushed his cheek, and let go. “See you Sunday, Tetsu-kun.”

Kuroko heard the door shut softly behind her and sighed softly, leaning back in his chair. Pressing the button on his watch, the little voice that came out told him it was just after ten p.m. Kuroko sighed again, feeling a little exhausted but wondering if it was still too early to go to bed. Then again, he had nothing to do and a concert and date tomorrow, and wanted to look his best. So getting up with a sigh, realising Momoi had nabbed his mug too and washed it as his hands couldn’t find it on the table. He stretched slightly, hearing Nigou pad ahead of him into the bedroom as he understood his master’s signal, Kuroko followed his pet into the other room. He stripped roughly, dropping his clothes in the hamper in the corner as he pulled on his pyjamas, and crawled under the covers. Patting the bed, the mattress dipped under Nigou’s weight as the dog jumped up and curled up somewhere near Kuroko’s hip, as usual.

Kuroko shut his eyes, fingers petting Nigou gently in the constant darkness, hoping he’d be able to fall asleep soon, even as his stomach churned with nerves for tomorrow night. Not particularly for the concert, he honestly loved what he did and was always pleased when others could appreciate his efforts. But the date was something unknown for the blind boy, something he wasn’t quite sure how to deal with. Of course, he was more than happy with it. But with his limitations, restrictions, he wouldn’t be surprised if Kagami grew tired of him soon enough.

Kuroko sighed for the umpteenth time, wondering if he’d ever gain the confidence to banish these thoughts, no matter how likely they might be. He should be – he _was_ – grateful that Kagami had even taken an interest in him in the first place. But everything was still so new and admittedly slightly terrifying. Kuroko hadn’t felt anything like this before, and he wasn’t sure how to cope with it. He could only hope that Kagami would be willing to take it slow, willing to be patient with him, to allow him to grow used to having someone by his side. And Kuroko would be careful not to burden Kagami, not to cause any more trouble than he was already with his blindness.

Kuroko’s breathing deepened as he started to drift into sleep, brain quieting as he accepted that he could only do his best, and pray it all worked out as he dearly wanted it to. Thoughts of Kagami slowly revolving around his brain, Kuroko fell asleep feeling comforted that he had found someone, no matter how brief it might be, and looking forwards to the days to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Although I hinted at it, I don’t actually ship MomoSaku – but I was listening to Aomine’s solo album and GO GO! TOUO and they’re all there together and omfg that song makes me laugh so hard I can’t even so I just wanted to throw Sakurai in here somewhere because my apologetic mushroom darling child <3
> 
> Also over 300 kudos say whaaat! and 100+ subscribers - omg thank you all so much like seriously. I have 3 exams left and next Friday afternoon I will be freeee so I can write more fluff/happiness for these babies :)   
> see you all next week! :D


	10. Chapter 10

Kagami opened his eyes the next morning cursing himself. He hadn’t been able to sleep, feeling as nervous about the date later as he usually felt about a huge, important game. And while the call to Kuroko yesterday had reassured him a little, he still couldn’t stop the nerves tightening his stomach. He really, really didn’t want to fuck this up.

He wasn’t even sure _why_ he was so nervous. Admittedly, dating wasn’t really something he’d ever had any real interest in. He’d been on maybe two or three, generally arranged by his friends who’d told him he needed to get off the basketball court and find himself a girl, or a guy later on, when he’d realised his tastes lay with his own gender. So he wasn’t exactly suave, or even sure of what to do on a date. But even so, he wasn’t sure why he was this desperate not to fuck it up, other than the fact that it was with Kuroko.

Kagami wasn’t sure what it was, but just the thought of the blind boy caused his heart rate to spike, his blood to quicken. If he were more of a hopeless romantic he’d probably put it down to them being destined for each other. As it were, Kagami just knew that the blue-haired boy was _special_ in a way he couldn’t really define. And Kagami wanted to help him, to stand by him and support him, and provide whatever he could.

He knew it was soon, by any standard. Knew that what he was feeling wasn’t exactly logical. But Kagami couldn’t seem to care less. He’d long since learnt to go with his instinct and it had served him well so far in life. He’d try and hold back for a little bit for now, obviously, he didn’t want to rush things and fuck stuff up or hurt anyone, especially not Kuroko.

With a long sigh, he crawled out of bed and into the shower, feeling the hot water wake him up to some degree. Pulling on his decent sweats and a jumper, he grabbed his bag and headed out to uni, determined to forget about the date just for a little while so he could focus on work.

\--------

It was useless, Kagami sighed as he stripped and tugged on his basketball kit after his lectures for the day had ended. All he’d been able to think about all day was Kuroko and their date later. Was he really doing the right thing by taking him back to his? Was the chicken that he’d left in his fridge marinating overnight something that the blue haired boy would like? Something he could eat? Would Kuroko even like _him_ as they got to know each other? Kagami didn’t exactly have a hell of a lot he could offer, asides from his cooking and basketball skills, the latter of which Kuroko would never be able to see.

Kagami’s basketball was rawer that day, not as focused, but with more power being shoved into his dunks, his dribbles; trying to work out his sheer frustration and the nerves still trying to take over his stomach. He still sparred with Aomine and Kise, all three of them goading each other on in their one-on-ones or basic competitions until the coach had had to storm over and force them all to cool their heads.

“You’d better be careful tonight, _bakagami_ ,” Aomine warned lowly as practise ended and they retreated to the locker rooms to shower and change. “If you hurt Tetsu in any way, I’ll hurt you a thousand times over.”

“Aominecchi!” Kise broke in before Kagami could snap back at the blue-haired basketball baka. “Don’t be mean! Kagamicchi isn’t going to do anything to Kurokocchi.”

Navy eyes met gold and Aomine backed down a little, but still frowned heavily whenever his gaze landed on Kagami, who was finding his shower kit in order to prevent himself from lobbing a punch at the other male’s head.

They said little else, even Kise, as they showered and pulled on normal clothes, until…

“Kagamicchi!” Kise sounded scandalised. “You’re not meeting Kurokocchi in _that_ are you?”

Kagami looked down at his sweats and baggy hoody with a little confusion. “What’s wrong with it?” he asked innocently. Even Aomine blinked at his response, his usual scowl becoming mildly confused. Kagami couldn’t decide if it was because Aomine agreed with Kise (and Kagami) that the clothes were not suitable for a date and couldn’t understand why Kagami didn’t ‘get’ that, or whether he was trying to think of reasons as to what was wrong with it. Knowing the lack of fashion sense the tanned male had, Kagami was leaning towards the latter.

But his poker face broke and laughter echoed throughout the locker room at the sheer expression of horror covering Kise’s features.

“Kagamicchi?” Kise’s expression turned to confusion.

“I’m not that stupid, Kise,” the redhead assured him, slinging his bag over his shoulder. “I’ve got a couple of things to do at home first for dinner before I go meet Kuroko, and clothes to change into there.”

“Oh, thank god,” Kise collapsed against Aomine, overly dramatic as always. “Well, have fun tonight,” he continued with a cheery wave.

Kagami nodded. “Thanks.”

Aomine watched Kagami leave with a quiet sigh and looked down at blond hair, still resting on his shoulder.

“Kagamicchi won’t hurt Kurokocchi,” Kise assured him, turning his head to press a quick kiss to his shoulder before pulling back before anyone saw.

“I know,” Aomine admitted reluctantly. “Not intentionally anyway.”

“Kurokocchi isn’t some fragile thing, Daikicchi,” Kise reminded him, tone turning soft and gentle. “You know this more than anyone. He can handle himself. And if not, we’ll be there for him. It’s that simple.”

Aomine sighed and gave Kise’s hand a quick squeeze whilst no-one was looking. “That’s true,” he agreed lowly. “Cheers.”

Kise shrugged. “Anyways, you can buy me dinner!” he laughed, picking up his own bags. “Since you’re taking _forever_.”

Aomine narrowed his eyes at the blond, who shone back at him, brighter than the sun. And knew that he didn’t have it in him to deny those golden orbs.

“Fine,” he sighed, tugging his jumper over his head. Kise pulled on a jacket that Aomine was pretty sure had been his at one point, but to be fair their clothes were so messed up in their room it was amazing they found anything of their own. It looked much better on the blond anyway. “Let’s go.”

\--------

Kuroko held his breath, a little nervous, as the taxi pulled up outside of the town hall and he was helped out by the driver. Nigou had been left at home for tonight, under the watchful gaze of Kuroko’s neighbours who were always really kind about looking after him. Kindly, the taxi driver led him to the front door, where someone was waiting for him.

“Kuroko-sama?” they asked softly.

Kuroko nodded, bowing shallowly and hoping it was in the right direction, and that whoever it was wouldn’t mind if he was wrong.

“I’m Harada-san,” the voice continued, “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’ll be helping you around today.”

“Thank you very much,” Kuroko replied softly.

“Then, I’ll lead the way to your dressing room?” he offered. Kuroko nodded and felt an impersonal hand grasp his wrist and lead his hand to Harada’s arm. With a quick murmur of ‘shall we go?’ Kuroko started to walk alongside Harada.

“I don’t know if I should say this,” Harada continued speaking as they walked. “But I was very pleased when I heard that you would be coming to play here, I asked to be the one to guide you. My girlfriend,” he explained, “Goes to your university, and plays in the orchestra there. She’s first chair violin,” he added proudly. “But I’ve been to a few of the concerts there, and the every time I see you play I am extremely moved.”

“Thank you,” Kuroko accepted softly, not quite sure how to take the praise. “Ah, actually, I have a favour to ask,” he added, thoughts of Kagami popping into his head. “A friend of mine is coming to pick me up after the concert, and I said he’d be able to come backstage to save us the hassle of trying to find each other later on. Is there a way he could be put onto the guest list or something to that effect?”

“That’s not a problem,” Harada confirmed cheerily. “If you give me his name, I’ll pass it onto security and someone will show him to your dressing room when he arrives.”

“Thank you very much,” Kuroko murmured. “Kagami Taiga. He should be arriving towards the end of the concert, I think I told him seven-thirty.”

“Understood,” Harada paused, warning Kuroko quickly, and opened the door to his dressing room.

“Thank you.”

“It’s no problem. Anyway, this is your dressing room. I have a few things to attend to briefly, will you be okay in here?”

“I’ll be fine,” Kuroko assured him.

“Might I get you a cup of coffee or something to drink before the concert?” Harada asked, guiding Kuroko to a comfy sofa before letting go of the blue-haired male and starting to back out of the room.

“Just water would be fine, thank you,” Kuroko replied, hearing the quiet footsteps as Harada started to leave the room.

“I’ll be back shortly.”

Kuroko heard the door shut softly behind the other man and sank back into the sofa with a soft sigh. Tapping his watch, he was told it was just before six, so he’d be going onto stage in about twenty minutes or so.

With another sigh, he let himself relax, though his stomach was still fluttering with the thought of seeing Kagami-kun in a little over an hour and a half. He wondered what the redhead would cook for him tonight. And what else they’d do. He was happy just sitting and talking, in all truth. Maybe a little kissing, he thought, trying to prevent the blush from rising to his cheeks, but to no avail.

Harada came back after five minutes with a bottle of water.

“We’ll be heading up to the stage in a couple of minutes,” he offered as he placed the bottle in Kuroko’s outstretched hand. “Just to make sure everything is as you need it to be.”

“Thank you,” Kuroko nodded. “I’m sorry to have caused such a bother.”

“Not at all!” Harada sounded slightly horrified, “We’re honoured to have you play for us today. This is the least we could do.”

Kuroko offered a soft smile out into the room, feeling a little relieved. These guys were much nicer than some who he’d dealt with in the past, who’d ignored his disability entirely except where it was impossible. He felt a little bad for making them go so far out of their way for him, but at the same time extremely grateful that they were doing it in such a way that he didn’t feel like as much of a burden as he usually did.

Breaking the seal on the water, he listened as Harada outlined the concert schedule, announcing that someone would introduce him when he was to play and that would be his cue. He had a set of songs that fit within the timeframe they had given him, and someone had the list and would be aware of when the blind male would be stopping.

After the explanation had ended, Harada placed his hand into Kuroko’s hesitantly outstretched one, helping him stand before leading him up to the stage with Kuroko’s hand on his arm as before. Kuroko felt nerves flutter in his stomach, but they were mild in comparison to the thoughts of later, of being alone with Kagami. In some ways, he was glad he was blind, as he couldn’t see the number of people watching him, whether it was but a couple or a few hundred, as tonight’s concert was supposed to be. He heard mild murmuring as he was led onto the stage, as Harada helped him to sit and the piano and find his place.

“The curtain is still down,” Harada murmured softly. “So they can’t see us yet. When the first set of musicians are introduced, the curtain will fall. This piano is to the far right of the stage, so it’s unlikely anyone will focus on you until it is your time to play.”

Kuroko nodded, fingers pressing on the notes only just hard enough that he could check it was in tune, and he was sat in the right position.

“Thank you very much, Harada-san,” he said softly.

Suddenly, the audience quieted and Kuroko felt Harada stand from beside him.

“That’s the cue to start,” Harada whispered softly. “I’ll be standing just off stage all concert, so signal somehow if you need anything.”

Kuroko nodded. “Thank you very much,” he murmured softly as he heard the soft rustle of clothing getting further away as Harada left the stage.

Kuroko opened his eyes as polite applause rang through the hall, as he heard the soft _whoosh_ of the curtain being lifted, as the soft, haunting tune of a violin started to cut through the air. He wondered how many people were out there, how many people had noticed him yet. He knew he had a low presence, so the chances of it were slim. He wondered what the hall looked like, where everyone was on the stage he was also sat on. What Kagami would see when he arrived. Kuroko wondered a lot of things, but mostly wondered if those out there were aware of how lucky they were to have their sight, to be able to see the things that Kuroko would never be able to.


	11. Chapter 11

The taxi Kagami was in pulled up outside the front entrance of the town hall. Paying, he clambered out and with a quick adjustment of his jacket headed up the steps and into the grand lobby.

There were very few people about, and Kagami paused as he could hear the soft strains of piano music filtering through the lobby. His stomach tightened, his pulse quickened, recognising the tune as a song Kuroko had played before. He hoped he wasn’t too late, and could hear more before the concert ended.

Hurrying over to the front desk, a pretty female receptionist did a double take at his approach and batted her eyelashes at him.

“How may I help you, Sir?”

“I’m here for Kuroko?” Kagami replied. “As in, I’m helping him after the concert,” he clarified. “He told me he’d put me on the guest list or something, so I could go backstage after to help him out.”

“I see,” her lips pursed as she glanced down at the computer. “There is a notice,” she nodded, checking the system. “If you would wait a few minutes, I’ll call someone to take you back to Kuroko-sama’s dressing room.”

“Thanks.” Kagami nodded and leant against the counter, waiting patiently, ears straining for more of the music.

“Kagami-sama?” a soft male voice broke his concentration less than five minutes later as footsteps echoed across the marble floor of the lobby. The guy that approached him was shorter, neatly dressed in a suit and tie that reminded Kagami of one of his lecturers. Kagami nodded, and the man paused. “Please, follow me.”

Kagami nodded and followed the man as he turned and walked back the way he’d come. Following him through back corridors, they passed by the stage, where Kagami paused, noticing blue hair above a piano and, as before, beautiful music that washed through him, over him, echoing through the room.

“Would you like to wait here for a few minutes?” Harada offered. Kagami nodded, barely paying attention to the other man, focusing on Kuroko. He wondered if the blind boy had felt his gaze as the head lifted a little more, closed eyes opening yet continuing to see nothing.

Glancing around, he could see that most were just as stupefied as he, watching as the music flowed from small fingers, as the notes danced and twirled through the room. Kagami felt his heart inch a little more from his chest, reaching towards the man creating magic on stage.

The music swelled, reaching its climax before fading again and Kagami felt himself want to protest, a visceral reaction to the loss. He marvelled at the power Kuroko’s music held, at the power Kuroko himself held to be able to make such music that affected so many people. Glancing around, Kagami could tell that everyone in the room had felt something, from the stage hands to the other musicians still sitting on stage, and he wasn’t even a very good reader of people.

The hall rang silently for a long moment, before applause broke out and slowly people started to stand for Kuroko. Kagami wondered how Kuroko would react if he could see this, see the people standing and almost cheering aloud for him.

Kuroko stayed sitting, but turned towards the audience and bowed low in his seat, hands on his knees as he lowered his head. Kagami felt a tap on his arm and followed Harada as the other male started to lead him further backwards towards the dressing room.

“If you would wait here for a few moments,” Harada said as he opened the door. “I’ll just go fetch Kuroko-sama and come back.”

“Okay,” Kagami nodded and stepped into the simple, serviceable room. There were vanity mirrors and tables along one wall, with sofas and coffee tables opposite. Kagami settled himself on the arm of one of the sofas, stomach suddenly churning with nerves. Was this really okay? Was Kagami, an average university student, if an exceptional basketball player, really worthy enough to take out a man so strong he could move hundreds of people with nothing but his hands and a piano despite not having his sight?

Kagami sighed softly, stretching his legs out in front of him. He looked smarter than usual, in a shirt and trousers rather than his usual sweats and tank tops. But he wanted to look good, even if Kuroko couldn’t see him. Wanted to make an effort, even if the blue-eyed boy wouldn’t know.

Kagami barely had to wait for ten minutes until the door was opening again and Harada was guiding Kuroko into the room.

“Your friend is already here,” Harada was saying.

“Hey, Kuroko,” Kagami said, striding over and gently tapping the blind boy’s right side to let him know where he was. “How’s it going?”

“Very well, thank you, Kagami-kun,” Kuroko replied softly, a small smile aimed just behind the taller male. “And you?”

“Good.” Kagami glanced at Harada, wanting to say more but also not sure how far he could or should go in front of a stranger. “Anyway, you ready to go soon?”

“Whenever,” Kuroko nodded.

“I’ll show you out,” Harada offered, but made no move to step back towards Kuroko again, relieving Kagami, a little selfishly as it was. As Harada turned to leave the room, Kagami’s hand grabbed Kuroko’s with a gentle squeeze and let it to his forearm as usual.

“You were amazing,” Kagami murmured, too quiet for Harada to hear, but had to focus on leading them out of the room and missed the tips of Kuroko’s ears turning pink in a little embarrassment and a larger dose of pleasure.

They were shown to the front of the lobby, where some of the guests were still mingling. None made any move to approach them, although whispers broke out as a few recognised the pianist.

“Thank you very much, again, for agreeing to play for us tonight,” Harada said as he held the front door open for the two of them. “It was a spectacular event.”

Kuroko nodded, “Thank you very much for inviting me,” he returned politely. “I very much enjoyed it. I hope to work with you again sometime in the future.”

Kagami wished Kuroko could’ve seen the smile that spread over the other man’s face. “I hope so too,” the stranger replied, honesty ringing true in his voice. “May, if I could be so bold, but may we call you again?”

“Of course,” Kuroko nodded. “I hope to hear from you.”

Harada nodded and with a round of final farewells, Kagami helped Kuroko carefully down the front steps and towards the taxi rank.

“You just made Harada’s day,” Kagami murmured as they waited in the queue. There was quite a long line of the audience all waiting for taxis and Kagami frowned as Kuroko shivered a little in the cold air.

Kagami watched as Kuroko blinked when he draped his jacket over him, looking a little confused.

“You looked cold,” Kagami explained gently.

“Oh. Thank you,” Kuroko tugged the material a little closer around himself and savoured the heat that soaked into him from the cotton. “What did you mean by I made Harada-san’s day?”

Kagami chuckled. “That guy lit up when you said you wanted to work with him again. I don’t blame him, you were amazing. You had everyone in that room ensnared.”

“Even you?” Kuroko asked in a brief flare of boldness.

“Especially me,” Kagami replied, squeezing Kuroko’s hand gently on his forearm. Kuroko’s blush this time wasn’t missed and Kagami had to suppress his small smile. “I wish I’d been there for the whole thing. You’ll have to tell me when your next one is and I’ll come to that one properly.”

Kuroko felt pleasure warm his blood another degree. Kagami sounded so sincere, Kuroko believed what he said. And it made him ridiculously happy that Kagami could like his music, could appreciate something that Kuroko had pride in.

\--------

It took another ten minutes before Kagami could help Kuroko into a taxi and give the driver his address. The taxi ride was quiet, both boys suddenly nervous and finding it difficult to think of a conversation. Luckily, the journey was short and the taxi pulled to a stop less than ten minutes later, Kagami helping Kuroko out after he’d paid the driver.

Kuroko followed Kagami’s lead as he headed up the semi-familiar staircase to the other male’s apartment, using the handrail rather than Kagami’s arm as it was kind of narrow and a little awkward. They chatted a little, mostly about the concert still.

“So how did you actually get into the piano?” Kagami asked as he opened the door and led Kuroko in, flicking on the light.

“I… actually when I… it was when I started to lose my sight that I began, and then took it more seriously when I became totally blind,” Kuroko started, following the gentle tugs of Kagami’s hand as he was led through to the kitchen and shown to a stool. Perching on it, he placed his hands on the table and felt a quick hand run through his hair, stroke down his shoulder, before Kagami stepped away. “It was a bit of a dark time and the piano gave me some sense of ability, of still being able to do _something_ despite everything else happening.”

Kagami hummed in soft understanding, bringing the chicken out from the fridge and tossing it into a frying pan.

“And Midorima-kun, he was one of the basketball team members I used to play with,” Kuroko explained, “Helped me. We’d never particularly gotten along well otherwise, he’s got many… _eccentricities_ , but he played for me, and offered to teach me. And I owe my success so far to him.”

“I see,” Kagami mused softly. “So you’ve only been playing for a couple of years then?”

Kuroko nodded, listening carefully as he heard Kagami pad to the other side of the kitchen. Cutlery and plates clinked softly as Kagami set them out before them.

“Knife and fork,” Kagami offered, pressing them into Kuroko’s open hand. “I made this sort of dry curry thing. I wasn’t sure what you’d like, and tell me if you don’t like it and I’ll whip something else up…”

“It smells delicious,” Kuroko promised, noting the smells wafting over the kitchen.

“Good,” Kagami chuckled softly. “Do you want a drink, by the way?”

“I’m fine,” Kuroko shook his head. Kagami’s fingers gently brushed his wrist and Kuroko felt his pulse jump before the contact was broken. “So when did you learn to cook?” Kuroko asked as Kagami moved away again.

“Ah, a long while ago. My dad’s always away on business, and after mom passed away I was sort of left by myself, and I kinda got used to fending for myself. It’s not so hard really, kind of relaxing…”

Kuroko sniffed appreciatively as the soft _thump_ in front of him and the frankly mouth-watering smell grew stronger indicated his plate had been put in front of him.

“This really does smell delicious, Kagami-kun,” Kuroko murmured softly, feeling carefully for the edges of the plate- which turned out to be a bowl.

“I’m glad,” Kagami said honestly, knees brushing Kuroko’s under the narrow table as he settled across from the blind boy. “Let me know if you want anything else.”

Kuroko nodded. “May I have a spoon?” he asked hesitantly. “It’s just… I find it easier.”

“Of course. Sorry,” Kagami sounded flustered as he got up quickly, and thirty seconds later a spoon was being pressed into Kuroko’s hand.

“Thank you,” Kuroko murmured, and with a cautious hand dipped the spoon into the curry.

Kagami watched, a little amazed at how easy Kuroko made it look, when he was sure it was just the opposite. With a silent sigh, he dug into his own food, absolutely starving. It left little space for conversation between the two of them, but neither of them minded, just content to sit and relax in their own little bubble they’d created.

“That was delicious,” Kuroko murmured fifteen minutes later, stomach full to bursting. He wasn’t lying either, he had enjoyed every spoonful. “I’m stuffed.”

“I’m glad. I… uh, I actually bought cake for dessert,” Kagami admitted, “but if you don’t want it…”

“Maybe later,” Kuroko offered, feeling warm. Kagami was just being so thoughtful, so generous. Kuroko hadn’t experienced a whole lot of this kind of thing, and wasn’t entirely sure how to take it.

“No worries,” Kagami shrugged it off, collecting the plates to put them in the sink. “Do you want to go through to the lounge? The sofa is comfier in there…”

“Sounds good,” Kuroko agreed, sliding off the stool. Barely ten seconds later, Kagami’s hand was taking his and leading him carefully through to the other room.

Kuroko flushed a little as Kagami tugged him down onto the sofa and he sat with his side pressed against the length of Kagami’s. Their hands were still connected and Kuroko moved his a little, trying to lace their fingers together. Kagami seemed to realise as barely a second later long fingers spread open and allowed Kuroko’s smaller ones to fit between them.

“Your hands are okay now then?” Kuroko asked, realising finally that the bandages were definitely gone.

“Mm,” Kagami murmured, looking down at blue hair. Kuroko’s face was turned away from him, staring at the wall, and Kagami mildly wished that he could stare into the blue orbs, wondered what would happen if they could look at each other like that. But Kuroko’s hand was small in his, his body warmth soaking into his side and Kagami was more than content. “Yeah. Skin’s still a little raw, but they’re good.”

“No scarring?”

“Nope,” Kagami sighed softly in relief. “All good.”

“Good,” Kuroko murmured, and, feeling his ears burn red, brought Kagami’s hand up so he could press a soft kiss to his knuckles.

Kagami felt his face flame and a pleased grin spread across his face. “Thanks,” he murmured softly, other hand coming to run through blue hair. “You know,” he started, a little embarrassed a minute later, “You actually helped me a lot.”

Kuroko tilted his head, a little confused. “I did?”

Kagami chuckled softly, squeezing the smaller boy’s hand. “Yeah. I mean,” he sighed and dropped his head back to stare at the ceiling. “I wouldn’t change what I did for anything, like, I know I did the right thing. But… I couldn’t think about it while I was going into the school, you know? I was just sort of running on adrenaline… but afterwards… it is sort of terrifying,” he murmured with a humourless chuckle. Kuroko listened in a little bit of astonishment, amazed and more than pleased that Kagami was opening up to him. “I couldn’t sleep well for a while after that. Still don’t, sometimes,” he added with a rueful sigh. “But then, you know when I went to visit Kiyoshi in the hospital?” Kuroko nodded, “Well, he sorta helped me out. Reminded me that the team was there for me. Which sounds kinda stupid, but then even Ahomine was being decent for once,” they both chuckled softly, “And then the basketball guys were there for me, and then you were, you are.” Kagami finished a little awkwardly. “So… thanks, I guess.”

Kuroko flushed a little. “I haven’t exactly done a lot,” he denied, shaking his head.

“You’ve done more than you know,” Kagami replied, face burning but determined to get this out.

Kuroko’s face also flushed an extra shade darker. “Kagami-kun,” he sighed softly, turning his head up and closing his eyes. Barely a second later, Kagami’s lips were on his, leading them into a soft, delicate kiss.

Kuroko felt his body hum in pleasure, felt soft warmth fill him. Almost too soon, they broke away, Kuroko sighing lightly and leaning carefully to rest his head on Kagami’s shoulder.

They spoke for a while longer, general conversation with snippets of their lives leading to a few chuckles, and a few more kisses, whether of comfort or appreciation or generally just because they wanted to.

Kagami was being so careful, so cautious with him, Kuroko felt another of his barriers crumble away into dust. It wasn’t until about two hours of talking later when the kissing really started, instigated by Kuroko, but the blue-haired boy froze up as Kagami’s hand slid to his waist, fingers teasing the edge of his shirt, still tucked into his trousers.

“I…” Kuroko swallowed, pulling back. Would this be a killing blow? “I don’t think I’m… I’m ready for anything more yet,” he confessed in almost a whisper. He wished more than ever that he could see Kagami’s face, see how the other boy was reacting to this.

“Okay,” Kagami replied simply, hands retreating from Kuroko’s hip to gently cup his worried-looking face, stroke through his hair. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to push.”

“No. Don’t be,” Kuroko sighed softly. “It’s my fault.”

“No it isn’t,” Kagami denied instantly. “Don’t feel bad about this, Kuroko. I want this to work, so we’ll take this at our own pace, like I said at the start. I can wait, I will wait for you,” a soft kiss punctuated his promise, “so don’t rush yourself.”

“Kagami-kun,” Kuroko sighed softly, but the worry in his blood dissipated a little. Kagami’s voice was soft, sincere, and his hands were warm and gentle as they continued to comb through Kuroko’s hair. “Thank you.”

“No problem,” Kagami replied honestly. “Honestly, Kuroko, I just want you to be happy, ideally with me.”

“Kagami-kun,” Kuroko melted a little, praying at the same time that this was actually true. That this wasn’t just something he’d made up, some dream he’d wake up from.

Soft lips brushed his again and Kuroko gave himself up into it, more grateful than he could ever say. This man in front of him… how lucky had Kuroko been to find him?

It was another hour of soft kisses, Kagami keeping his hands to himself, and softer conversation before Kuroko’s watch beeped at him and he realised it was past midnight.

“I should get home,” he sighed, a little reluctantly.

“You sure?” Kagami murmured, “I have a spare room, if you want to crash here.”

Kuroko blinked at the offer. “It is tempting,” he sighed, “but I have to get home for Nigou, really. And I have to be up early tomorrow.”

“Alright,” Kagami agreed easily and Kuroko was relieved the other male didn’t seem to mind. “Do you want me to call you a taxi? The trains will have stopped by now,” he reminded the smaller boy softly.

“Please,” Kuroko nodded. “Sorry to be such a hassle.”

“You’re not at all,” Kagami scolded him softly, catching his chin in long fingers and pressing a light kiss to his lips. “I’ll be right back, I left my phone in the kitchen.”

Kuroko blinked as Kagami got up and the warmth of him disappeared. Kagami was so… _good_. Kuroko wasn’t quite sure how to take how blasé Kagami was about having to do almost everything for the other boy.

Kagami came back a couple of minutes later. “The taxi should be here in five minutes,” he murmured.

“Okay,” Kuroko got up carefully. “Thank you very much for today, Kagami-kun,” he offered softly. “I had a really good time.”

“Me too,” Kagami replied, fingers reaching out to take Kuroko’s again. “Thanks for agreeing to this. Hopefully we can do it again?”

Kuroko felt a smile break out over his face. “I’d like that,” he agreed softly.

They kissed for a couple of minutes before heading downstairs where the taxi was already waiting.

“I’ll call you, and hopefully see you at uni,” Kagami offered as he helped Kuroko into the car.

“Thank you, Kagami-kun. I’ll see you soon, then.”

“See you.”

Kuroko heard the car door shut and felt the car start to move off, and couldn’t stop the silly little smile that rose to his lips. But he was _happy_. Tonight had gone better than any of his wildest dreams, and he couldn’t quite believe it. He could only hope it would continue on like this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hola!  
> I am freeeeee from uni/exams (for another 4 months anyway). and today's final went p. well (*touch wood*) so in lieu of this, (and because I felt bad because I've stretched out this date for like 4 chapters already aha... sorry) I decided to upload this chapter as a mini-celebration, and because I finally managed to get 3 chapters ahead again, and caught up on knb *^^* basically today was a v. good day so I hope I can make your guys' days (maybe? hopefully?) a little better with a bonus chapter?  
> anyways, after this it'll be back to weekly Thursday updates :D  
> kudos/comments/everything as always is super appreciated - I should actually be able to reply to comments from now on too wooooooo! aha <3  
> see y'all next week! :D


	12. Chapter 12

A week later and Kuroko was standing in the doorway of the gym where Kagami’s basketball practise was winding down for the evening.

“Kurokocchi!” Kise’s voice appeared cheerfully next to him, a hand lightly brushing his left arm. “Here for Kagamicchi?”

“Kise-kun. Yes, is he here?”

“Yep, he’s just finishing this mini-game. He’s on fire today, beat Aominecchi by two points!”

Kuroko smiled softly, wishing he could see it. “That’s good then.”

“Anyway, he’ll be another five, ten minutes, do you want to sit and wait, or are you okay here?”

“Am I in the way here?”

“Nope, you shouldn’t be,” Kise returned cheerfully. “The other doors lead to the changing rooms so…”

“I’ll stand here then.”

“Ah, Kagamicchi’s waving!” Kise said brightly, “He’s gesturing for me to tell you he’s gotta shower but he’ll be fifteen minutes, tops.”

“Okay. I’ll wait here,” Kuroko manoeuvred so he was just inside the doorway, Nigou patiently waiting at his feet.

“Okay! Well I’ve got a shoot that runs over the weekend and Aominecchi is coming with me for once, so I’ll see you on Monday? Have a good night with Kagamicchi,” Kise teased lightly, ruffling Kuroko’s hair.

Kuroko sighed, but a tiny smile reached his lips as he acknowledged Kise’s statement. “Have fun this weekend, then.”

“Will do! Byeeee!” Kuroko heard the squeak of trainers against the hardwood as Kise bounced away. Kuroko leant against the wall, crouching down to pet Nigou as he waited for Kagami, perfectly content.

They’d called each other every other night since their date, and had met up for lunch on Monday and Wednesday for extra time together, since Kagami’s early evenings were often filled with his basketball practise, or his volunteering at the fire station on Thursday, and Kuroko with piano practise or volunteering at the blind community centre nearby. Kagami was always so thoughtful, he’d even made a bento for Kuroko on Wednesday when they’d planned to eat lunch outside together, until the weather had taken a turn for the worse and they’d had to take shelter in the canteen with Kise and Aomine, the former who couldn’t stop squealing about how ‘cute’ they were together, and the latter who mostly just grumbled through his sentences as he ignored the two of them being a thing.

Fifteen minutes later and the hall had considerately quieted down. There was still some murmuring so Kuroko knew he wasn’t alone, but Nigou was sitting happily under the hands petting him so no-one was nearby.

“Sorry!” Kagami’s voice was low and came out in a long sigh as the squeak of trainers on the floor nearby signalled his arrival. Kuroko stood again and Kagami’s hand brushed his. “Thanks for waiting.”

Kuroko shook his head. “It’s okay.”

“You good to go?”

Kuroko nodded, feeling his hand being clasped gently and drawn to the now familiar forearm.

“How do we get back to yours then?” Kagami asked as they started to head out of the hall, towards the bus stops.

\--------

It felt weird to be the one leading Kagami somewhere when usually it was the other way around, but Kuroko had to admit he was rather relieved that he _could_ do this, that it wasn’t just Kagami doing everything all the time. This relationship was still in the very early stages and Kuroko was hoping more than anything that the foundation they were slowly building would be one without any cracks. He wasn’t sure exactly what it was about the taller boy that had him so ensnared, but Kuroko could admit to himself that he was hooked.

He liked the fact that they called each other every day. For some it would be too much, and for others there’d be a lack of things to talk about, but for them that wasn’t the case. Kuroko enjoyed hearing Kagami’s low voice chuckle from wherever his boyfriend was, whether it was walking back home after practise or over the quiet sizzle of something cooking or after they’d eaten and Kagami was sat down somewhere and relaxing. He liked how Kagami would always ask him how his day was, even if they’d met up for lunch earlier and nothing had changed. He liked Kagami’s views on the world, so simple and straightforward but somehow pure and optimistic, maybe even a little naïve at times. He liked how Kagami was always the last to say ‘goodnight’ in that low, husky voice that heated the blood humming through Kuroko’s veins.

And Kuroko knew it had only been a week since they’d actually, properly started dating, but he couldn’t help but feel optimistic about whatever was to come. Sure he didn’t know all of Kagami yet, but so far he’d found nothing to be displeased about. Even the tiny things they disagreed on, like whether or not going to a library would be an acceptable date (which had been Kuroko’s ideal date when he’d still been able to see), were inconsequential in the grand scheme of things and only added little differences between the two of them that meant it was extremely difficult to be bored when around the other.

So, fingers intertwined with Kagami’s, he let Nigou lead the way onto the usual bus, giving and receiving the usual greeting from the driver before taking a seat, today not in the priority seats as usual. Kagami folded himself in next to him, but Kuroko wondered how he’d managed to fit. The buses weren’t exactly even big enough for him, and Kagami was definitely taller. Plus Nigou below their feet also reduced the amount of space they had there…

“I didn’t realise your place was that far from uni,” Kagami’s voice broke into his thoughts as the bus started to move.

“Ah,” Kuroko shrugged lightly. “I guess it is, a little. But it’s where my dorms were when I was there for high school, so I know the area pretty well. Plus its only one bus ride, and I have Nigou, and the bus stop is practically outside my apartment so…”

“I see. That’s good then,” Kagami’s fingers squeezed Kuroko’s lightly and he squeezed back.

The bus journey was short, only another ten minutes, tops, and they both got off at Kuroko’s stop, fingers still entwined. Following Nigou’s lead, Kuroko let his feet semi-guide him along the usual route back to his apartment, fishing his keys out from his pocket as Nigou came to a halt outside their door.

“Please, come in,” Kuroko offered, suddenly nervous as he realised it would be the first time Kagami was actually coming into his apartment. His boyfriend had dropped him off outside before, but never actually come in.

“Thanks,” Kagami followed Kuroko in, shutting the front door lightly behind them.

“Um, the light-switch is to your left,” Kuroko remembered. He very rarely used the lights, not needing them anyway, and heard the quiet _click_ as Kagami flicked the switch.

Crouching down, Kuroko let Nigou off his lead and used the handrails to lead the way into the kitchen, aware of Kagami following him.

“Coffee?”

“Please,” Kagami accepted, glancing around the kitchen. The apartment was smaller than he’d thought, just three rooms, the front a lounge-slash-kitchen, and he guessed the other two were the bathroom and bedroom.

Kuroko was mildly grateful Kagami didn’t offer to help. He could do this on his own, he would prove that. And maybe it was a little stupid to be so hung up on it, but it was important to him.

“Sit,” Kuroko gestured in the rough direction of the table. “What do you want to eat?”

“Uhh, what do you have?”

“Um…” Kuroko thought back on what he had left in his fridge and recited the contents. Kagami chose and Kuroko nodded, finding the appropriately shaped container and putting it into the microwave.

“Sorry it’s not any fancier than this,” Kuroko sighed as he finished brewing the coffee and placed it on the table. Kagami’s fingers brushed his as the other male drew the coffee mug towards himself, clearly sitting in Kuroko’s usual chair.

“Not at all,” Kagami reassured him, and Kuroko was relieved that he sounded as honest as ever, “This is great, thanks.”

Kuroko microwaved his own dinner once Kagami’s pinged, relieved as Kagami let Kuroko do everything. They ate as the conversation turned back to basketball, onto Aomine and Kise.

“So are they definitely a thing?” Kagami asked, finally remembering to. “I mean, they look like it, but I’m never totally sure.”

“They are,” Kuroko nodded as he placed the containers into the box for reuse. “They got together after high school, when Aomine-kun realised he was an idiot and couldn’t live without Kise-kun keeping him in check.”

Kagami laughed and Kuroko savoured the sound. “Sounds about right,” he agreed. “So you and Aomine… you never?”

Kuroko raised an eyebrow.

“He’s just so protective,” Kagami explained a little sheepishly, and Kuroko wondered what kind of expression he was making. Grumpy? Jealous? Confused?

“No, we weren’t,” Kuroko replied honestly. “I… actually, I’ve never properly… um… I’ve never really gone on a date, or been in a relationship or anything before this,” he admitted, voice reducing down to a mumble.

There was a short pause and Kuroko felt his heart stutter, a little worried. But then Kagami’s fingers were lacing over his again and squeezing gently. “Me neither,” he admitted and Kuroko had to hold in his sigh of relief. “We can figure it out together, then.”

Kuroko smiled brightly. “Sounds good,” he agreed. “Do you want to sit on the sofa?” he offered after a minute or two.

“Sure,” Kagami agreed, following Kuroko as he got up and headed for his usual spot. Sitting down he felt Kagami also drop lightly onto his left side, relaxed until Nigou, as usual, hopped up onto Kuroko’s lap.

“Do you not like dogs?” Kuroko asked, feeling a little sad on behalf of his puppy as Kagami’s muscles tensed next to them.

“Ah, it’s not that!” Kagami rushed to assure him, seeing the faint downturn of soft pink lips and feeling bad, “It’s just… when I was little I was sort of… bitten by one… on the ass…” Kagami valiantly ignored the tiny surprised chuckle that slipped past Kuroko’s lips, “So ever since then I’ve had this kind of fear. It’s a bit irrational but…”

“Nigou would never do such a thing,” Kuroko assured him softly, and Nigou yapped lightly as if in agreement.

“I know,” Kagami sighed quietly. “He’s not as bad.”

Kuroko felt a little pleased at that. “I’m glad you think so,” he smiled softly, feeling Kagami’s fingers brush his wrist lightly, giving him and idea.

“Here, give me your hand,” Kuroko held his out and barely a second later Kagami’s fingers were in his, pleasing Kuroko immensely as usual.

Sliding one hand underneath his palm and pressing another over the back of his hand, Kuroko gently led Kagami’s hand onto Nigou’s back, running through the soft fur down the dog’s spine.

“See?” Kuroko murmured, “Nothing to it. He won’t bite.”

He slid his hand from underneath so there wasn’t a barrier between Kagami’s palm and Nigou and the redhead made a quiet noise, but it was more of surprise than anything negative.

“So soft,” Kagami murmured after a minute. Nigou yapped again, as if in pleased agreement, and Kuroko smiled, leaning a little more against Kagami’s arm. Kagami in turn leant closer and Kuroko’s smile widened, pleased as lips brushed over his ear. “Still not as cute as you though.”

It took a few seconds for that statement to register but when it did Kuroko felt his face burn as blood rushed to his cheeks.

He turned his face up for a kiss and was instantly awarded one, slightly chapped lips warm on his. After a minute Nigou hopped off Kuroko’s lap with a sigh, as if not wanting to intrude, or just bored now the attention wasn’t on him and Kuroko leant a little closer to Kagami, enjoying the heat of him seeping through his clothing.

Tongues met and breaths grew shallow, and Kagami started to lean forward, pressing Kuroko back against the sofa cushions. But before anything could really happen the redhead was pulling back, bringing Kuroko with him before the blind boy could protest, placing the smaller boy on top.

“Okay?” Kagami’s murmured huskily against Kuroko’s jaw and the blind boy practically melted. This was... Kagami was making sure he was comfortable, making sure he could stop whenever he wanted, could be in control of the situation.

“Mm,” Kuroko hummed in a confirmation, brushing his lips back over Kagami’s, fingers sliding through silky strands of hair. Kagami was so amazing, so clearly putting Kuroko’s wants and needs first… how could Kuroko _not_ be okay, receiving understanding like this?

But eventually Kuroko had to pull back, out of breath, Kagami’s long fingers burning a brand into his waist, the other hand wrapped around his between them.

“Do… do you want to watch a film?” Kuroko offered, needing something to distract him before he lost himself fully.

“Sure,” Kagami agreed easily, fingers letting go of Kuroko as he carefully got up.

They chose a film out of Kuroko’s collection, all of which either he’d seen before he’d lost his sight so knew the plot of perfectly, or which had the audio descriptors so he could still imagine what was happening.

Sliding it into the box, Kuroko picked up the remote and made his way back to the sofa. Kagami’s hands wrapped around his waist before he could sit and pulled him onto his lap, back resting against the arm of the sofa, which Kagami was also leaning against.

“Okay?” Kagami asked. Kuroko just smiled and rested his head on Kagami’s shoulder in answer, shutting his eyes as he pressed play.

\--------

The next two hours seemed to go by incredibly quickly. Kuroko chuckled as Kagami moaned at the obvious plot holes, poked fun at the characters and their idiot ideas. He could hear Kagami’s heartbeat as he rested his head on his chest, and tried to ignore Kagami’s thumb, drawing circles on the side of his waist as his arm was wrapped around him. One of Kuroko’s hands was clasped in Kagami’s as usual, fingers interlocked and comforting.

The credits rolled on and Kuroko sighed, shifting a little so he faced Kagami a little better, not that it made any difference to him.

“What did you think?” he murmured, feeling Kagami’s hand gently squeeze his as the other shifted on his waist, holding him a little more securely as Kuroko got comfortable again.

“It was alright,” Kagami returned, “I don’t get what the woman was thinking though. He bloody cheated on her with a shit ton of women and wasn’t even sorry. There’s no way anyone I know would raise their lover’s bastard when all he did was constantly fuck her over.”

Kuroko chuckled as Kagami’s voice fired up, so passionate. “I agree,” he murmured, lips pressing a soft kiss to his collarbone. “But people do stupid things for love.”

Kagami sighed. “I guess so,” he accepted. “I don’t know whether or not you could really call that love though.”

Kuroko hid his widening smile in Kagami’s t-shirt. “She thought it was,” he pointed out.

“And yet she still let him drive himself into the gutter. If you really loved someone wouldn’t you do everything you could to help them?”

“Even if they didn’t want to be helped?” Kuroko raised an eyebrow.

“If they’re being stupid, then yeah. Just beat some sense into them.”

Kuroko couldn’t stop his laugh. “That’s very you, Kagami-kun,” he agreed softly, pressing another kiss to Kagami’s collarbone, liking the way he smelt there, the softer skin under his jaw, along his neck as Kuroko’s nose turned up and followed the long line.

Anything else Kuroko might have said was wiped away with a gentle kiss, teeth gently tugging at his lower lip which was something, Kuroko realised, he _really_ liked.

“Do that again,” he murmured and he felt Kagami’s lips twitch into a smile against his before his boyfriend obeyed, teeth scraping over his lower lip gently again, nipping lightly.

Kuroko’s hands slid up to Kagami’s hair, smiling as he leant back against the sofa arm, breaking their mouth-to-mouth contact.

“You okay with this all?” Kagami asked softly.

Kuroko smiled gently. “I am,” he promised, “Thank you.”

“Just want to make sure. As long as you’re happy.”

“I am,” Kuroko promised again. “Are you?”

“Mm,” Kagami kissed him lightly. “Yeah. Very.”

Kuroko’s smile widened, but it was soon dampened by the beeping of his watch signalling it was almost eleven and close to the time of the last train home.

Kagami also sighed as he realised, hands squeezing Kuroko’s.

“I’d better get off then,” he sighed, a little reluctantly. “But I’ll call you tomorrow?”

“That would be good,” Kuroko agreed, slowly getting up, feeling Kagami stand behind him. “Do you know the way to the station?” he asked, following the redhead to the front door.

“Yeah,” Kagami went over it briefly so Kuroko was satisfied. “I’ll call you when I’m home,” he promised, leaning in for one last kiss as they stood by the entrance. “Thanks for dinner.”

Kuroko shook his head, murmuring a denial. “Anytime. Get home safe.”

“Will do,” Kagami leant in again and Kuroko smiled as lips met his yet again. “Right,” Kagami sighed as he pulled back, forcing himself to open the door so he wouldn’t get distracted again. “I’ll call you in half an hour or so then.”

“Goodnight, Kagami-kun,” Kuroko murmured, still smiling as he heard the door shut behind his boyfriend.

With a smile on his lips he went to change into his pyjamas and clean his teeth, putting his phone on charge as he settled into bed. And, as promised, half an hour later his phone rang, a thirty second call stating that Kagami had got home safely and their usual ‘goodnight’. Kuroko flipped his phone shut again and lay back, feeling Nigou curled up next to his hip and following his puppy into sleep with happiness flowing through his veins.


	13. Chapter 13

A full two months passed in a similar vein, and what felt like in a blink of an eye. Kuroko and Kagami took to meeting up at least once a week, and more where Kagami’s busy basketball practise coupled with Kuroko’s piano practise also allowed them to. Kuroko had had a couple more concerts in the meantime, but much to Kagami’s dismay they’d both landed on the time when he’d had an important basketball game and hadn’t been able to make it. To his relief, Kuroko hadn’t seemed to hold it against him, had understood, but it still made Kagami feel a little guilty.

Even so, they were continuing to take it at a slow, steady pace. Their intimacy had increased in tiny increments, getting lost in make-out sessions often led to half-nakedness, but not yet to the point of no return. And while Kagami had to admit he was getting a little… _frustrated_ , he could wait. It was just hard to hold back when Kuroko made such sexy sounds, and looked so beautiful with kiss swollen lips and hair out of place from the fingers that had run through it.

And while Kuroko still was a little insecure, a little worried, a little overwhelmed by the relationship and the fact that it was still going on, and translating that in his head into thinking that he was overburdening his boyfriend, Kagami had managed, was still managing to persuade him away from those notions, sometimes through the smallest of things. Because, okay, Kuroko was disadvantaged when it came to doing a lot of things that ‘normal’ couples would do, but Kagami was more than content with the state of things. He _liked_ not having to go out on dates all the time, liked just sitting and chatting with his boyfriend at home, their hands intertwined or legs pressed together, sometimes with the radio in the background providing soft music. Kagami _liked_ being able to feed Kuroko, whether it was just in the sense of providing food, or as in actually _feeding_ him, which was more erotic than Kagami had ever thought, and as such took every opportunity to do it.

And sometimes they’d meet in the music room on campus, and Kuroko, remembering how Kagami had said he found solace in Kuroko’s music, would play for him. Kagami had tried to learn a little, in the beginning, but had soon given up and let Kuroko play when they’d both realised he was almost tone-deaf when it came to instruments. Or Kuroko would come to the gym after basketball practise and they’d walk back to Kuroko’s together, often via Maji Burger so Kuroko could get his favourite vanilla shake and Kagami a few burgers to tide him over.

They’d also had a few more dinners together with Aomine and Kise, all four of them getting along well. The other couple were pleased with how happy Kuroko seemed to be, and Kise teased them good-naturedly often. Although Aomine rarely said anything, Kuroko and Kagami both took his silence to mean that he didn’t disapprove.

And, although Kuroko hadn’t yet told Kagami this, knowing it would embarrass Aomine, when Kuroko had been particularly stuck it had been his old teammate that had helped him figure things out. Kuroko had been waiting for the redhead to finish some extra training, having fallen a little behind thanks to his hands, and had been worrying about what to do. It had still only been a couple of weeks into the relationship, and he hadn’t been sure if he was providing everything that the redhead needed from him, everything that Kuroko could provide. If anything, it seemed like Kuroko was putting more restrictions on their relationship when he couldn’t do something, like when Kagami had to feed him, of all things. Even though Kuroko found it embarrassing, Kagami hadn’t seemed to mind it.

_“You look worried,” Aomine murmured, dropping onto the bench next to the blind boy and pressing a bottle of water into his hand. “What’s up?”_

_“Aomine-kun,” Kuroko sighed, fiddling with the bottle lid. “I… does Kagami-kun look happy to you?”_

_“Wha-?” Aomine almost choked on his own water. “What’s with this?”_

_“I just…” Kuroko sighed, “He seems like he doesn’t mind being with me. But I can’t see him, his expressions, to know how he truly feels. And I’m such a burden, I’m always having to make him do things for me, or restricting him because I can’t do things. I-.”_

_“Don’t be stupid,” Aomine cut him off sharply. “Really, what the fuck are you thinking? Of course bakagami’s enjoying being with you. He sits there smiling like an idiot half the time.”_

_Kuroko said nothing, taking that in._

_Aomine sighed, leaning back in his seat. “Look, Tetsu. I’m not gonna say anything really, ‘cause I don’t know how that idiot feels. But from what I can see, he’s happy. But it doesn’t make any difference if you aren’t. Look out for yourself first.”_

_“I am,” Kuroko protested. “I enjoy spending time with Kagami-kun. I just… I don’t want to be a burden to him.”_

_Aomine sighed heavily. “You’re not a burden to anyone, Tetsu, let alone that idiot. From what I can tell, he likes taking care of you. He’s secretly a bloody mother hen. He’s so fucking cheery right now he’s even started bringing in snacks for the team during practise.”_

_“Really?” Kuroko blinked._

_Aomine sighed. “Yep. Keep it up, Tetsu. I haven’t eaten honey-soaked-lemons this delicious since Sakurai in high school.”_

_Kuroko smiled softly. Trust Aomine to think of his stomach._

_“If you want though,” Aomine sighed, “I’ll get Kise to keep an eye on him, and if there’s something wrong that it looks like he’s not telling you about, we’ll do something. Either tell you or get him to tell you.”_

_“I…” Kuroko hesitated, but admitted he wanted to know more than he didn’t want to cause a problem, “I’d appreciate that. Thank you, Aomine-kun. Sorry to have asked you to do this.”_

_“Wouldn’t have offered if it was effort,” Aomine dismissed it gruffly, ruffling Kuroko’s hair in the way he knew the blind boy hated. “Anyway, I gotta get going. Ryouta’s waiting for me off campus. Take care of yourself, Tetsu. And if Kagami hurts you, let me know. I’ll crush him.”_

_Kuroko blinked. “Uh, thank you, Aomine-kun, but I doubt that will be necessary.”_

_Aomine just made a noncommittal murmur before tapping Kuroko’s knee to signal he was leaving. “See you later.”_

All in all, things had gone swimmingly since then. Aomine and Kise hadn’t said anything when they were alone together, both reassuring Kuroko that Kagami was happy. Kuroko had to admit he was relieved, especially as Kagami didn’t seem to be changing his attitude towards him either, didn’t seem to be becoming bored, or annoyed. And while Kuroko still had the flutters of nerves, of insecurity in his stomach sometimes, he was feeling more secure about the relationship the longer it continued.

So two months into the relationship, Kuroko, sat in a small coffee shop on the edge of campus, sipped his vanilla shake (although it wasn’t quite as good as the one from Maji Burger, it was still delicious) and mused over their time together.

Like Kise had said at the start, Kagami was nothing but a gentleman. He helped Kuroko around everywhere, even coming sometimes to find him between classes just for an extra five minutes of being together. And although they almost always went back to Kagami’s apartment, it was mostly because the other male was the only one with food, and a better cook. And even so, Kagami always made sure Kuroko got home safely, either by taking him back on the trains or by calling a taxi for him, and calling him when he got home. Either way, Kuroko felt safe, protected and cared for. And he felt himself falling further and further, until he woke up thinking about and looking forwards to meeting Kagami.

Especially since that even though two months had passed of constant contact, Kagami had held true to his promise and not pushed any further in terms of intimacy. Kuroko was more than grateful, although he’d felt a little guilty when Kise had caught him alone one day a couple of weeks ago, following up from Aomine’s promise towards the beginning.

_“Kurokocchi,” Kise murmured in a quiet voice, “look, I know this is a weird, personal question, but exactly how far have you gone with Kagamicchi?”_

_“Kise-kun?” Kuroko frowned, a little confused and taken aback._

_“Ah… it’s just… he seems a little frustrated,” Kise admitted. “And I didn’t know if things were just a bit… meh… in the bedroom maybe?”_

_Kuroko’s frown deepened. “A-actually,” he confessed quietly. “He’s waiting for me… I wasn’t ready.”_

_Kise was silent for a long moment and Kuroko felt nerves bubble up inside him. Was he doing something wrong?_

_“That’s fine then,” Kise murmured, a warm hand landing on Kuroko’s shoulder. “As long as you’re happy.”_

_“H-he hasn’t said anything, has he?” Kuroko asked, still feeling the nerves flickering._

_“No!” Kise squeezed Kuroko’s shoulder gently. “Don’t worry about it, Kurokocchi. He’s on top of things, I promise. I was just wondering.”_

_Kuroko sent a dubious hum in the blond’s direction, but didn’t say any more. He also, despite wanting to bring it up with Kagami-kun, wasn’t sure how to, and kept quiet._

Kuroko sighed, sipping his vanilla shake again. His watch told him it was just before six when he tapped it, which meant he still had an hour before Kagami would make it out of basketball practise and over to where he was. Nigou was napping peacefully at his feet, a soft warm weight against his leg.

Sliding his drink carefully to one side, he pulled out his latest book, a present from his mother. He’d have to go and see her relatively soon, he thought with a sigh, making a mental note of it.

He opened the pages and pressed his fingers to the corner, feeling for the start of the first sentence. It had taken him a while to get used to the braille, but it was worth it. Although more books could be found in audio form nowadays, there was something Kuroko found satisfying about being able to imagine the voices in his own head, rather than having others speak as the characters.

He lost himself in the plot for a while, ears tuning out the sounds around him. The guys in the coffee shop knew him, he came here often enough, and were kind enough to come over and offer him another drink when he’d finished his.

It was just after seven when he heard a soft cough behind him and a warm hand was tapping his shoulder, before the soft scrape of the chair opposite him indicated Kagami was sitting down.

“Whatcha doin?” Kagami asked as he sat across from Kuroko, his knees gently bumping into the smaller boy’s to let him know where he was.

“Reading.”

“Hmmm,” Kagami watched as Kuroko’s hand stilled on the page. “I’ve never actually seen one of these in real life before,” he admitted.

“Really?” Kuroko’s head tilted a little, fingers brushing over the words gently, soaking them in. “I usually buy audio books, those are easier and more common, but sometimes my mom sends me these,” Kuroko admitted. “I always used to read a lot, back in the day. It’s really hard to find books in braille, actually, but a charity I’m part of makes them and loans them out, so that’s where I get most of mine…”

“I see,” Kagami hummed. “So, how d’you do it?”

“Give me your hand?” Kuroko requested softly, turning his over and holding it out. A second later, Kagami’s long fingers were in his and Kuroko’s heart, as always, was skipping a beat. Kuroko’s fingers were, again, as usual, a little clumsy in spreading out Kagami’s fingers, finding his fingertip and pressing it gently onto the page.

“So there’s no kanji,” Kuroko explained, “Everything is in the phonetic alphabet. So this says _a,_ then _ru_ , then _i_ , then _ta_ ,” Kuroko carefully dragged Kagami’s fingers over the little dots, feeling them first himself.

“Awesome,” Kagami murmured, fingers trailing over the lumps again. “I don’t get it at all,” he admitted with a rueful chuckle, and was pleased to see Kuroko’s lips quirk into a responding smile.

“It took me a while,” the blue-eyed boy admitted softly. “But my parents, and my grandmother, were very supportive. My mom still sends me back with these books every time I go to visit her.”

“Hmm,” Kagami murmured, hand still in Kuroko’s, turning over so their palms met and he could lace his fingers through Kuroko’s smaller ones. He didn’t miss the tinge of red tinting the tips of Kuroko’s ears and was slightly pleased that Kuroko couldn’t see the slightly smug smile that rose to his lips against his best intentions. “Where d’your parents live?”

“Just in the suburbs of Tokyo,” Kuroko replied softly, “Sort of way out on the edge.”

“I see. They don’t mind you living alone?”

Kuroko shook his head. “I was living in Tokyo alone for middle and high school anyway,” he pointed out, “if in dorms. And I go back to visit once every couple of months or so, and sometimes they’ll come visit me.”

“I see,” Kagami murmured, and Kuroko suppressed a shiver as fingertips started to trace patterns on his inner wrist. It was really quite distracting.

“Anyway,” Kuroko murmured before he could lose his train of thought any further. “Shall we go? I’m hungry.”

Kagami chuckled and they left the coffee shop with fingers interlocked as usual, Kuroko able to feel the faint warmth of the evening sun on his face and feeling content. 


	14. Chapter 14

They headed back to Kagami’s apartment as usual, hands intertwined as Kuroko grew used to the route, didn’t need to rely so much on Kagami and Nigou anymore.

Kagami had been kind enough to buy Nigou a little basket and toys for when Kuroko was there, and had even started to buy dog food for the guide dog. Kuroko couldn’t express his gratitude enough for all that Kagami was doing for him.

As usual, they ate dinner – tonight hamburgers and vegetables – and then retreated to the lounge to cuddle and chat. It quickly turned into a make-out session, and Kuroko felt his heart jump as Kagami’s tongue twined with his, as warm hands clasped his waist to pull him closer. Want twined through him and his breath caught, but in anticipation and need rather than fear and nerves. He knew it was about time he gave in.

He had put this off for far too long. He was ready. Had been, admittedly, ready for a while now. Kagami’s lips were warm on his, his hands soft and hesitant on his waist and Kuroko didn’t know what he’d been so afraid of. Kagami wouldn’t leave him. They’d been together for two months now, and so far nothing he’d done had seemed to have put the other male off. And he _wanted_ this, wanted to be intimate with Kagami in every way, to stop putting limits on himself just because he thought he’d mess up.

“It’s okay,” Kuroko whispered, pulling back for a second, hands clumsily reaching for Kagami’s face. “Don’t stop tonight.”

“Kuroko,” Kagami’s voice was soft, wondering, a little stunned. Sliding his fingers deeper into sky blue hair, he brought his mouth back to Kuroko’s and pulled him closer, pressing the smaller body against his.

Kuroko went limp, wrapping his arms around Kagami’s neck to support himself as the redhead carefully picked him up and took him somewhere, presumably the bedroom.

His guess was affirmed when Kagami slowly lowered him onto what had to be a bed from the feel of it under him. Kuroko waited, ears straining at faint noises, of cloth rustling, the soft thump as he assumed it hit the floor.

Kuroko closed his eyes – he couldn’t see the body he wanted to so badly anyway – and his hands trembled slightly as they reached for the bottom of his t-shirt and pulled it over his head.

“Are you sure about this?” the bed dipped beside him as warm hands cradled his face. “You’re shaking.”

“I…” Kuroko sighed softly. “I’m sure. Just… go slow?” he asked softly.

Soft lips brushed his, a quiet agreement. “Tell me if you want anything, or don’t want anything,” Kagami whispered into the dark, and Kuroko nodded.

“S-Same,” he replied softly. “If there’s anything you want me to do… I just…” Kuroko felt his face flame. “I’ve never done this before.”

Kagami’s lips brushed his cheeks and Kuroko felt a hand gently span his waist. “I got that,” Kagami assured him quietly with a soft, warm chuckle. “We’ll go as slow as you need. Anytime you want to stop, say so. Okay?”

Kuroko nodded, and let his hands be guided around Kagami’s neck, as a hand gently encouraged him to lie back. He did so, pulling Kagami with him, feeling the heat of his boyfriend above him without placing any weight on the smaller boy.

Their lips met again, soft at first before the kiss deepened, tongues twining, teeth nipping, and before Kuroko knew it a needy whine was slipping past his lips as his body started to heat.

“T-tou-touch me?” he broke away for a second to whisper, feeling his cheeks flush even more. Kagami’s soft breathing echoed in his ears, and Kuroko nearly flinched when one of the hands that had been supporting the other male cupped his face, thumb stroking across kiss-swollen lips.

“You’re beautiful,” Kagami murmured, voice low and husky and Kuroko felt his abs contract at the sound. “It’s so hard to believe you’re here with me like this.”

“You’re embarrassing,” Kuroko murmured, pressing one hand to his face to hide the blush spreading up to his ears.

“Don’t hide,” Kagami chuckled softly. “Sorry. I just… I wish you could see what I do. Perfection.”

Kuroko was lost for words as lips brushed his, trailed down his chin, down his neck. Teeth grazing his most sensitive spots, causing his breath to catch and fists to clench. The warm hand stroking up his waist, across his chest, fingers rubbing over a nipple. Kuroko gasped as fingertips teased, moved away and came back, causing tension to rise another notch in his veins.

Was that really how Kagami saw him? Perfect? Despite all of his flaws, all of his issues? Kuroko felt himself melt against his better judgement, against all dictations of common sense. He couldn’t help but want to believe in Kagami’s words, believe that the redhead thought he was perfect, despite evidence to the contrary.

He lost track of his thoughts as a warm mouth drew a rapidly cooling damp trail down his chest to the nipple his fingers had been neglecting, and soft pulls and careful tugs with teeth caused him to arch up from the bed, his trousers becoming uncomfortably tight as heat flooded downwards.

One hand stayed in Kagami’s hair, enjoying the sensation of the silky strands caressing his fingers, and the other reached down for his shoulder, hitting warm flesh with his fingertips and carefully spreading his fingers across the skin.

“C-Can I touch you?” Kuroko asked, heartbeat stuttering as Kagami, with a final long suck, stopped tormenting his nipples.

“Mm,” Kagami murmured, and Kuroko’s breath caught as warm hands caught his waist and the next thing he knew he was sat up, a hard body underneath him between his thighs. He leant forwards automatically, hands coming to steady him, and he paused as he felt Kagami’s heartbeat under his fingertips, thumping more rapidly than usual.

Kagami’s skin was softer than he’d expected, fingers brushing over ridges of muscle and hearing Kagami’s soft sigh of what Kuroko hoped was pleasure. He could feel Kagami’s length pressed against his inner thigh where he was sat across Kagami’s hips, and couldn’t help but move against it, revelling in the sensation, wondering what Kagami would do.

Hands tightened on his hips as Kagami groaned, the sound cutting through the air and reverberating through Kuroko.

“Kuroko,” a soft sigh caused Kuroko’s stomach to tighten and he stopped, feeling the hands start to slide up his waist. He felt the muscles under his hands ripple as Kagami sat up, his lips sealing back over the smaller male’s.

“You okay?” Kagami murmured as he broke away, leaving Kuroko breathless, unable to get words out as the lips that had teased his mercilessly brushed down his ear, teeth nipping at his earlobe.

Kuroko nodded, winding his arms around Kagami’s neck after a bit of fumbling and stroking down the broad back. The muscles flexed under his touch but he lost track of that sensation as lips returned to his, as wide hands stroked down his own torso, finally reaching his waistband.

“Okay?” Kagami asked, voice lower than usual.

Kuroko nodded again, unable to force words past the knot of anticipation that was lodged in his throat. His waistband loosened as Kagami undid his button, unzipped his trousers.

“Let-,” Kuroko found his speech again, “Let me take them off.”

“Mm,” Kagami sounded reluctant, but let go of his partner briefly and they both used the time to strip themselves of the last of their clothing.

Kuroko felt his face burn as he sat back on the bed, unsure of where Kagami was so just waiting for the other boy to make his move. Kagami noticed, but still took a moment to swallow, to try and calm himself down. Kuroko looked so stunning, Kagami could barely hold himself back.

But he wanted to make this perfect for the other boy. Wanted to make his first time one that he would remember for all the right reasons.

So with a low exhale, he leant down and pressed his lips back to his boyfriend’s, teasing him with slow, unhurried battles of tongue on tongue, and soft nips of teeth sinking into full lower lips.

After a couple of minutes Kagami gently urged the other boy to lie back as he reached for the lube and condom and then followed him. Kagami’s breath caught, looking at the perfection of Kuroko below him, he could barely stop himself from just _taking_.

Kuroko moaned softly as Kagami’s hand stroked down his waist, his hips, towards his inner thighs. Kuroko allowed his thighs to be nudged apart gently, flushing red with a mixture of embarrassment and arousal as a deep noise of pleasure echoed through the room.

Reaching up, Kagami’s face was pressed into one of his hands. Kuroko traced his lips, feeling Kagami smile gently against his palm, before nipping his fingertips and suckling gently. Kuroko felt his stomach jump, and at the same time Kagami’s fingers finally reached his entrance, stroking gently and carefully.

Kuroko kept his eyes closed – not that it mattered whether he did or not – the sensation neither particularly pleasurable nor a turn-off.

“Okay?” Kagami whispered huskily, and Kuroko felt himself melt. Dropping his other hand to fist in the duvet, his other slid around Kagami’s neck, into his hair, as he nodded.

“Go on,” he murmured softly. “Please.”

The soft _snick_ of the lube bottle being opened sent Kuroko’s stomach spinning again, but he took a few deep breaths and calmed a little. The sensation of Kagami’s finger opening him up, pressing into him, was a little weird, but nothing Kuroko didn’t like.

Kagami’s head moved, shuffling downwards to press soft kisses to Kuroko’s hips and thighs. “You’re doing so well,” he murmured, as slowly, slowly Kuroko started to open up for him. The blue-haired boy shifted a little restlessly, pressing down as Kagami started to press another finger inside him.

“Kagami-kun,” Kuroko sighed softly, fingers gently tangling in his hair. “It’s okay. You can do more.”

“Kuroko,” Kagami had to hold back his moan.

“I’m not fragile,” Kuroko reminded him. “Please.”

With a few more soft kisses, Kagami started to stretch Kuroko a little more, feeling his own erection burn as Kuroko’s started to leak. Leaning over, Kagami gently pressed a few kisses to the tip, hearing Kuroko gasp and feeling his hips press up towards the gentle pressure.

“You taste good,” Kagami murmured, enjoying the pure expression of bliss crossing his lover’s face.

Kuroko flushed deeper. “More,” he whispered, wishing he could see what kind of expression Kagami was making at that moment.

A third finger pressed into him and Kuroko’s head started to spin. Especially as he seemed to adapt much quicker this time, any pain burning away into pleasure within a minute or two. Kagami was being so careful with him, so cautious and Kuroko felt his heart melt a little more.

“You okay?” Kagami murmured, pulling back from Kuroko’s erection for a moment and forcing himself to ignore the needy whine that set the rest of him on fire.

Kuroko nodded, feeling arousal burning through his veins. “Come here,” he requested softly, reaching out for Kagami. The taller male leant up, pressing a soft kiss to Kuroko’s lips. Kuroko deepened it much more aggressively than he’d ever done before, needing to show how much he wanted the other male.

Kagami moaned, finding his control slipping a little more. “I can’t hold back much longer,” he admitted softly. “D’you think you’re ready?”

Kuroko nodded. “It’s okay. I trust you,” he admitted softly, pressing his face into Kagami’s neck. The other boy smelt good, like soap and mild sweat, and it made Kuroko want to nip and bite. So he did. The curse that the other boy let slip was extremely satisfying, but Kuroko had to break off as Kagami carefully positioned himself between the smaller boy’s thighs.

Kuroko moaned softly as Kagami pressed into him. It was tighter, a little more painful than his fingers had been and burnt a little, but he shook his head when Kagami offered to stop.

“No. It’s okay.” And it was. Because despite the pain, Kuroko could feel the heat of Kagami inside him, the soft burn connecting them in a way Kuroko didn’t really understand. He could feel the faint trembling of Kagami’s arms as he held himself above the smaller boy, the rapid, heavy heartbeat as one of Kuroko’s hands slid across his torso to lie over his heart.

“Kuroko,” Kagami sighed softly, kissing him gently. “You feel so fucking good.”

Kuroko sighed softly as Kagami finally fit all the way inside him, pausing to let Kuroko grow used to his size. The burn slowly dissipated, leaving more room for pleasure, rising another notch in Kuroko’s veins as Kagami’s lips covered his again, teasing and nipping and comforting.

“Okay?” Kagami asked softly.

Kuroko nodded, wishing he could see what Kagami looked like at that moment in time, more than ever.

“Is it okay for you?” Kuroko asked hesitantly, breath catching in his throat as one of Kagami’s hands touched his chest again, teasing his nipples once more.

“Ah, Kuroko,” Kagami murmured softly, pressing soft kisses all over his face, “You’re perfect.”

With a gentle word of warning, Kagami started to move. Kuroko’s breath caught again, the pain transforming into pleasure as his blood boiled in his veins. Kagami’s panting breaths, interspersed with low moans set Kuroko’s blood on fire, as much as the kisses Kagami rained down on him. His arms locked around Kagami’s shoulders, fingers digging into tight muscles as he was taken higher and higher, barely able to hold himself down to reality.

“I can’t hold on much longer,” Kagami gasped, voice low and broken and it almost sent Kuroko over the edge. “Fuck, Kuroko.”

Kuroko cried out, back arching up as Kagami’s fingers wrapped around his erection, leaking heavily. It was barely twenty seconds later when he couldn’t hold back anymore and came with a choked cry, followed by Kagami almost instantly.

Kuroko floated back down to earth a couple of minutes later, as Kagami carefully pulled out of him and reached for a towel to gently wipe Kuroko’s stomach clean.

“Kuroko,” Kagami sighed, reaching over and pulling the smaller boy into his arms, holding him close as he pressed soft kisses to the nape of his neck. “Kuroko.”

Kuroko turned over, finding Kagami’s lips with his own. “Kagami-kun,” he sighed softly back, feeling exhaustion creep up.

“You okay?”

Kuroko smiled tiredly and nodded. “Just tired. Thank you, for being so careful with me.” Kuroko wanted to say more, wanted to explain how much it had meant to him, but couldn’t find the words.

“Always,” Kagami replied. “Thank you. For trusting me.”

Kuroko shook his head, and smiled contentedly as Kagami’s arm slid under his head, his bicep making a surprisingly comfortable pillow.

“Sleep,” Kagami urged softly, watching Kuroko slowly relax, his body loosening up in the aftermath of his orgasm, sleep clearly coming to claim him.

Kuroko nodded, turning his head to press a soft kiss to Kagami’s arm. “Goodnight, Kagami-kun.”

“Night, Kuroko,” Kagami murmured, pulling the covers up over them. “Sleep well.”

Kuroko’s smile dropped away as he fell into sleep, more content and his body more pleasured than he’d felt in years.

Kagami quickly followed, still vaguely disbelieving that he’d been able to hold this amazing person in his arms, had watched him fall apart in the best of ways. Pulling Kuroko a little closer, Kagami shut his eyes and dropped into his own sleep, unbelievably happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yay smut! aha
> 
> sorry this update is a little later on in the day than usual but today has been hectic...   
> and just a quick note (again) to say thank youuuu to all of you that are commenting/subscribing/leaving kudos <3 the feedback is literally more than I could ever have imagined and I'm so happy <3 :D


	15. Chapter 15

Another month passed in a similar vein. Kuroko took to staying over at Kagami’s apartment once a week, as they continued to grow closer and closer, and happier and happier.

Kuroko was actually a little worried by the fact that they hadn’t fought or anything yet, hadn’t found anything to be displeased about with each other. But they just seemed to _click_. It was a silly worry, and one Kuroko knew he shouldn’t even have, but even so… everything just seemed to be _too_ perfect, and he wasn’t sure how to cope. But he was still going with it, taking every happiness while he could.

It was reaching August when Kuroko was asked to go back home to perform a concert for the middle school his mother worked at. Not being one to deny her anything, he agreed. And also being one to share things with her, he’d already told her about Kagami, so when she asked if he would bring him, despite his surprise and a little apprehension, he agreed to ask if Kagami was free.

And that was how he came to be bringing it up over dinner at Kagami’s house on one of their usual Friday night dates.

“Your parents want to meet me?” Kagami repeated, a little stunned, nerves instantly starting to creep up. Would Kuroko’s parents approve of him? Would they like him? Would he be able to get along with them?

Kuroko flushed a little, feeling awkward. “You don’t have to come,” he assured him. “I know it might be a bit soon, but…”

“No,” Kagami shook his head, settling across from Kuroko, handing him a spoon and a bowl of curry. “I’d like to come. I’ve missed your past couple of concerts because of basketball. When’s this one?”

“Ah, in two weeks.”

“I can do that,” Kagami nodded around a mouthful of food. “Friday to Saturday, right?”

“If that’s okay,” Kuroko agreed. “Of course, you’ll stay at our house and everything,” he continued.

“Sounds good,” Kagami agreed, “If you’re sure.”

Kuroko flushed. “I’d like the people most important to me to meet each other,” he confessed.

Kagami turned bright red as the meaning of that sentence sank in. Reaching out, he threaded his fingers with Kuroko’s.

“I’ll be on my best behaviour then,” he teased lightly.

Kuroko laughed, squeezing Kagami’s hand. “They’ll love you,” he promised.

“I hope so,” Kagami agreed with a soft, semi-nervous laugh.

\--------

And that was how, two weeks later, they were both on the Chuo line heading out of the centre of Tokyo to the furthest districts where Kuroko’s home was.

“My dad’s actually away on a business trip,” Kuroko told Kagami as they sat on the train, leaning against each other inconspicuously. “So it’s just my mother and my grandma.”

“Got it,” Kagami murmured, “Do you think they’ll like the cake I made?” he asked a little worriedly, holding the box carefully on his lap.

Kuroko smiled softly. Kagami was so concerned, it was really quite cute.

“I’m sure they will,” he reassured his lover, leaning in a little closer. “They’ll love you, Kagami-kun. Don’t worry so much.”

Kagami sighed softly, leaning in while no-one was looking to press a quick kiss to Kuroko’s hair. “I hope so,” he grumbled softly.

The rest of the hour-and-a-half long train ride passed uneventfully, Kuroko falling asleep at one point and Kagami waking him up a station before they had to get off.

They alighted the train with ease, but it was as they were walking down the stairs, Kuroko just behind Kagami, that someone shoved into Kuroko and sent him flying. If Kagami hadn’t turned when he had, hadn’t braced himself and caught the smaller boy, Kuroko would have gone tumbling down the stairs.

“Oi!” the guy who’d slammed into Kuroko stopped and stared at the two of them. “You’re in the way. Move.”

“Hey,” Kagami started, glaring at the other man, a good head shorter than him. “I think that was your fault.”

“It’s this guy’s fault for not looking where he was going,” the other man sneered back, throwing a dismissive glance towards Kuroko that made Kagami’s blood boil.

“He’s blind! Have some more consideration!” Kagami snapped.

Kuroko felt his stomach jump as Kagami started to move away from him and reached out, grabbing his arm on a stroke of luck.

“He shouldn’t be outside then, should he?” the other man retorted. “Fucking useless.”

“Kagami-kun!” Kuroko blurted, panicking as Kagami took another step up the stairs, away from him. “Can we go, please?”

Kagami paused, staring down the other man. Anger bubbled inside him and he was finding it really hard to let it go, but Kuroko’s hand was tight around his wrist, nails digging into his skin and the mild pain brought him down a notch. Glancing at his lover, wide blue eyes stared emptily at his shoulder, teeth worrying his lower lip in a rare open show of nerves. Kagami sighed, pushing his anger down so as not to worry Kuroko any further, and turned back to the other man, glaring at him as darkly as possible. “You should have more respect,” he said quietly, and had the brief pleasure of watching the stranger swallow a little in nerves, before Kuroko tugged on his arm again and he turned around with a sigh.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Kagami demanded as he led Kuroko out of the station and paused on the pavement, out of the way of the flow of people around them. “He was totally the one in the wrong.”

Kuroko sighed. “Kagami-kun, I wouldn’t have been able to pick out who it was anyway,” he murmured, “and there’s no use in it. Not everyone is as kind and understanding as you are.”

“But it’s just… it’s basic common _courtesy_!” Kagami protested, “They’re disrespecting you in a huge way. You were right behind me, it’s not like you were even in that guy’s way!”

Kuroko sighed again, wrapping his arms around himself. “Please, can we just go? There’s nothing we can do about it now.”

Kagami stayed silent, fuming, but Kuroko felt him take his hand and lead him over to a taxi rank.

“I’m sorry,” Kagami apologised after a tense, silent taxi ride and they ended up outside Kuroko’s old home. “I just… I can’t stand people like that. You could’ve been seriously hurt. I don’t want anything to happen to you. I don’t get why you’re not angry, too.”

Kuroko closed his eyes as Kagami’s hand gently cupped his face, an extra soft, silent apology.

“It’s okay, Kagami-kun,” he reassured his lover. “But it’s happened before, and it will probably happen again. There’s nothing we can do about it, but I’d rather not make a fuss over it. Especially if it might turn violent. I _am_ angry,” he admitted quietly, wrapping his fingers around Kagami’s wrist, “But there’s nothing I can do. It’s just something I have to accept.”

Kagami sighed, feeling defeated. “I _am_ sorry. I didn’t mean to lose my head like that. I just… You don’t deserve any of that shit.”

Kuroko smiled softly, turning his head to press a soft kiss to Kagami’s palm. “Thank you,” he murmured softly.

Kagami stepped forward and hugged Kuroko for a long moment, who hugged him back tightly.

“Shall we go in?” Kuroko offered quietly after a minute. “I’m hungry, and I’m sure mom will have made something by now.”

Kagami sighed. “One more second,” he murmured into Kuroko’s hair, holding him a fraction tighter. “Just a bit nervous.”

Kuroko smiled softly, pressing his face into Kagami’s shirt. “You’ll be fine,” he reassured him for the hundredth time, relieved that the incident at the train station seemed to have been resolved already.

Five minutes later, Kuroko was knocking and letting them in to a small, typical family home in a quiet, residential neighbourhood.

“Tetsuya!” a woman’s voice echoed through the corridors just as Kagami put his shoes neatly on the rack and followed Kuroko a warm, cosy living room. “Welcome home!”

“I’m back, mom,” Kuroko replied softly, as a blue-haired woman stepped into the room and hugged him gently. “I brought Kagami-kun, too,” he added as they parted. “Kagami-kun, this is my mom.”

Kuroko clearly took after his mom, Kagami thought silently. She had the same shade of hair, an almost tiny, slim figure and wide blue eyes that Kagami was pretty sure had been the downfall of many a man.

“It’s very nice to meet you,” Kagami stuttered a little, bowing.

Mrs. Kuroko laughed softly. “No need to be so formal,” she waved it off friendlily. “Any friend of Tetsuya’s is a friend of the family’s. Anyway, come on through to the kitchen and I’ll serve dinner in a minute. You boys must be starving.”

They both followed her dutifully into the kitchen, where curry was simmering happily on the stove and the scent of it filled the air.

“Where’s grandma?” Kuroko asked, feeling his way to the counter.

“Outside with the plants, dear. Do you want to go and fetch her, tell her dinner is almost ready?”

Kuroko nodded and headed out of the room towards the small back garden with a reassuring squeeze of Kagami’s hand.

“So, Kagami-kun,” Kuroko mom started, “Please, sit. Can I get you a drink at all?”

“I’m fine, thank you,” Kagami shook his head. “I, uh, I actually made a cake,” he said, offering the box out hesitantly. “To say thank you for letting me cra-stay here.”

Kuroko’s mom lit up with a smile. “That was very thoughtful of you,” she murmured approvingly, coming to take the box. “We’ll all have to have a piece for dessert.”

Kagami flushed lightly, a little relieved.

“I hope curry is okay for you? I wasn’t sure what you’d like, but if not…”

“I love curry,” Kagami assured her, perching carefully on one of the chairs she waved at. “Thank you.”

“Not at all,” she waved him off again. “It’s been so long since Tetsuya had friends over here. I’d ask you questions,” she admitted, “but my mother, Tetsuya’s grandmother, will no doubt ask you the same ones when she comes in, so I’ll wait, save you from repeating yourself.”

“I don’t mind,” Kagami shook his head. “I… Is there anything I can do to help?”

She blinked at him, before her smile softened a little more, became a little more genuine. “Tetsuya mentioned you were a good cook,” she confided softly. “But I think I’ve got it under control for now. That boy… he never learnt to cook anything past boiling an egg,” she chuckled. “But if you’d like, you could set the table?”

Kagami nodded and followed the basic instructions as to where the plates and everything else were, setting up the table. He’d just finished when Kuroko walked back in, followed by an elderly lady. Again, Kagami could see the similarities – although Kuroko’s grandma’s hair was a fine shade of grey, the blue eyes still shone with as much light as Kuroko’s did.

“Thank you, Kagami-kun,” Kuroko’s mum said lightly, setting down the curry in the centre of the table, along with the bowl from the rice-cooker full of rice.

“This is Kagami-kun, then,” Kuroko’s grandmother asked, ruffling Kuroko’s hair lightly.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Kagami said, bowing in her direction.

She chuckled and waved him off. “No need to be so formal, dear. Any friend of Tetsuya’s is a friend of ours,” she echoed Kuroko’s mom’s words from earlier and Kagami wondered at how open and friendly they were. He prayed he wouldn’t disappoint them, or worse, Kuroko.

Kuroko paused nearby and Kagami reached out, touching his wrist lightly to pull him to the table. Kuroko smiled, taking the seat that Kagami pulled out for him, hoping that one was okay, that they didn’t have specific seats they were supposed to sit in. But Kuroko nor his family said anything, so he assumed he was doing okay.

“Thank you, Kagami-kun.”

Kuroko’s grandmother had gone over to the sink, washing her hands before coming over to sit opposite Kuroko at the table. Kuroko’s mother headed to one side, so Kagami took the last chair, suddenly finding nerves making his palms sweat and his stomach churn.

“So, Kagami-kun,” Kuroko’s grandmother started, smiling at Kuroko’s mom as she started to serve the curry. “You met our Tetsuya at university?”

“Ah- yes, ma’am,” Kagami replied, and had to prevent himself from making a noise as Kuroko’s foot hit his shin, not a little painfully, before awkwardly hooking around his ankle. Glancing at the smaller boy, Kuroko’s eyes were open, pointing down at his plate. “I’m on the basketball team, with Aomine and Kise, and I met Kuroko through them.”

“You must be good at basketball, then, if you’re playing with Aomine,” Kuroko’s mom mentioned, turning to serve him. Kagami flushed a little.

“I guess?” he replied cautiously. “I mean, I love basketball, so…”

She offered a kind smile across to him. “Well it’s important to do the things you love,” she acknowledged, nodding. “Anyway, please dig in. And help yourself to more, if you’d like.”

With brief murmurs of thanks, everyone started to eat. Kagami was relieved as no more questions were asked for a while, the radio providing background noise as they ate.

“So, Kagami-kun,” Kuroko’s grandma asked, breaking the silence as Kagami finished eating, “I trust Tetsuya is doing well in Tokyo?”

“Grandma,” Kuroko protested quietly. “I call you weekly.”

“Still, you won’t tell me about your troubles,” the old lady replied sternly, but concern was clear across her features. “You know I worry about you.”

Kuroko sighed softly, turning back to his food.

“He does very well,” Kagami offered honestly. “I’ve never really seen Kuroko struggle with anything major, to be honest.”

“Kagami-kun helps me a lot,” Kuroko added, ears flaming pink. “As do Momoi-san, Kise-kun and Aomine-kun.”

“Even so,” Kagami continued, “Kuroko’s strong. While I want to help him, half the time it’s not necessary, and the rest I’m only really doing it because I can. If Kuroko had his way he wouldn’t let me.”

Kuroko flushed again.

Kuroko’s grandma met Kagami’s eyes, staring him down for a long second. Kagami felt himself clam up under that steely gaze, but a second later she broke into a smile. “It’s a good thing he has you, then,” was all she said, but Kagami felt himself relax a little. Was that approval, then?

Kuroko’s mom got up a couple of minutes later to clear the table.

“Ah, can I help?” Kagami offered, starting to get up.

“No, no,” she shook her head. “Relax. It was a long journey,” she waved him down as she collected everyone’s plates. “Or, if you all want to go into the lounge, I’ll bring through coffee and cake in a moment? Kagami-kun, do you like coffee?”

“Ah, yes, please.” Kagami nodded, watching as Kuroko stood up. The smaller boy offered his hand out to Kagami, who took it and led him into the lounge. Kuroko’s grandma stayed in the kitchen, presumably to help.

Kagami sighed heavily as he sat on the sofa, Kuroko joining him a second later.

“You’re doing well,” Kuroko assured him, one hand reaching up. Kagami pressed his cheek into the small palm, pressing a soft kiss to the fingers.

“I hope so,” he murmured softly. “They’re lovely people.”

Kuroko’s smile grew. “So are you,” he murmured, and Kagami flushed. Kuroko could feel the heat spread to his lover’s cheeks under his fingertips and couldn’t stop his grin.

“No need to look so smug,” Kagami grumbled, nipping one of Kuroko’s fingers, and grinning when blue eyes widened in shock, and a tiny shot of arousal.

“Kagami-kun,” Kuroko sighed, trying to be discouraging but failing utterly as he felt the smirk against his fingertip.

Kagami kissed the finger in question lightly. “Sorry. I’ll behave.”

Kuroko shrugged lightly, and pulled his hand back as he heard footsteps heading towards the lounge. Kuroko’s grandma walked in a second later holding a tray of cakes.

“You made this?” she asked, placing the tray on the coffee table before taking a seat.

“I did,” Kagami nodded. “I hope you like it.”

Kuroko sat back, but left his side plastered against Kagami’s, for a little bit of moral support but mostly for his own pleasure. Twenty seconds later his mom also entered the room holding a tray with four cups of steaming coffee.

They all dug in, slower this time as their appetites were mostly sated. Kagami finished first, as usual, and watched as Kuroko missed his last piece of cake with his fork.

“Here,” he murmured, gently covering Kuroko’s hand and leading it down so he could pierce the sponge and pick it up.

Kuroko flushed a little, as always, but didn’t feel stupid with the way Kagami helped him. He could feel his mom’s gaze on him, and wished he could see what she thought, what she wanted to say.

“That was delicious, Kagami-kun,” his grandma offered approvingly. “Did your mother teach you?”

“Ah, no,” Kagami flushed a little. “She passed when I was young. I just enjoy cooking.”

“Oh,” Kuroko’s grandmother blinked at him for a long second, looking surprised. “My apologies.”

“Not at all,” Kagami shook his head, feeling Kuroko’s hand squeeze his and gently returning the pressure. “It was a long time ago.”

“So you cook for yourself? What of your father?”

“Ah, he lives in America,” Kagami answered.

“Do you live alone over here then?” Kuroko’s mom was frowning lightly at him.

“Yes,” Kagami replied, unsure what else he could say. “But I don’t mind. I’ve got my friends, and Kuroko,” he felt Kuroko’s hand squeeze his a little tighter for that. “I’m happy.”

“That’s all that matters then,” Kuroko’s grandma said simply. “And it’s good to know Tetsuya has someone who can cook for him.”

“Grandma!” Kuroko protested again, but she just chuckled. Pressing his face into Kagami’s side, he felt a warm arm wind around him, comforting without passing possible platonic borders. Obviously, his family knew, but he still appreciated the sentiment.

They all sat and chatted for a while longer, and luckily Kagami wasn’t put under much more scrutiny, Kuroko’s family having already decided that they liked this redhead who looked at their son/grandson with a loving expression in his eyes.

Eventually Kuroko’s grandma excused herself to bed, and Kagami and Kuroko followed soon after. They were in Kuroko’s old room, Kuroko in his bed and Kagami on a futon.

They’d just settled in when Kagami blinked as a warm figure wiggled under the duvet with him.

“Kuroko?” he questioned softly, but pulled the other boy closer in his arms.

“Thank you for today,” Kuroko murmured, pressing his face against Kagami’s chest and letting his hands wrap around that warm waist. “They both liked you.”

Kagami pressed a soft kiss to blue hair in the dark, smiling softly. “I liked them too,” he assured his lover.

“Goodnight, Kagami-kun,” Kuroko sighed softly, feeling the surrounding warmth of Kagami quickly lull him into sleep.

“’Night,” Kagami replied through a yawn, suddenly exhausted. Wrapped around each other, they both slept, hoping tomorrow would go just as well as this evening had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, um, this fic is going to be longer than I predicted? like by quite a bit... though I haven't finished writing it out yet so I'm not sure by how much... yay? sorry?
> 
> thank you all for sticking by this fic and all of the comments/kudos/subscriptions/everything, it means more than I can write in mere words <3  
> you are, every single one of you, amazing, and you always make my week with the responses I get from each chapter <3 <3 <3 so thank you <3


	16. Chapter 16

Kuroko woke the next morning almost too hot and a little confused. Then he realised that although the bedsheets smelt of his own home, the arm around his waist was definitely Kagami’s. The redhead was still asleep, his breathing deep and slow.

Kuroko wished he could see what Kagami-kun looked like, yet again. He was happy with the state of things, how could he not be, right now? He was extremely lucky to have ended up here. But at the same time, he still wanted to be able to see Kagami’s face, to watch him sleep, see him smile, see his eyes light up. Wanted to watch him play basketball, sure he’d be just as stunning and unstoppable as Aomine had been, if not more so.

Kuroko sighed softly, but didn’t move, more than content where he was. Freeing his arm, he reached up and found Kagami’s nose, gently stroking down the bridge of it. Back across cheekbones, down his strong jaw. His skin was softer than Kuroko would have expected, but it felt good against his fingers. There was the tiniest bit of stubble breaking through on his chin and Kuroko scraped his fingers over it, almost laughing as it tickled lightly.

A couple of minutes later, just as hesitant fingers were tracing the edge of Kagami’s lips, he felt the arm around his waist tighten, pulling him another inch closer. The lips against his fingertips quirked up, into a smile, and Kuroko felt his heart hitch, almost able to _feel_ the other boy’s happiness, even if he couldn’t see it.

“’Morning,” Kagami whispered huskily, lips still moving against Kuroko’s fingers.

“Good morning,” Kuroko replied softly. He couldn’t stop a laugh as a second later Kagami’s stomach growled loudly.

“We’ll go get breakfast?” Kuroko offered, trying to suppress his smile.

“Mm,” Kagami hummed, but offered no movement, sealing his lips over Kuroko’s. Kuroko melted instantly, wrapping his arms around Kagami’s neck with an ease that came from a lot of practise. He almost knew Kagami’s body off by heart now, knew how far he’d have to reach to thread his fingers through his hair, how low he’d have to lean to be able to press his hand against Kagami’s crotch, the width of his waist and how far his arms (or legs) could wrap around it.

“If I just ate you instead?” Kagami murmured once he’d reduced Kuroko to a breathless mess, underneath his lover on the futon.

“Kagami-kun,” Kuroko gasped, feeling himself start to harden against his will, wanting it even as he knew they couldn’t. Not here. Not now. “We can’t. My grandma’s… just next door.”

Thoughts of that stopped Kagami in his tracks.

“Fuck,” he sighed, dropping his head into Kuroko’s neck. Kuroko smiled softly, gently patting Kagami’s head, feeling the tension and need thrumming through his lover’s larger body.

“You can have me as much as you want tonight, when we’re home,” Kuroko promised softly.

Kagami stirred again, pressing a long, hot kiss to Kuroko’s neck. The smaller boy squirmed a little, fingers tightening in Kagami’s hair.

“I’m going to hold you to that,” Kagami warned lowly. “Fuck, Kuroko.”

Kuroko startled as the warm weight of his lover suddenly disappeared. Kagami sighed lowly, crouching to take Kuroko’s hand and helping him to his feet.

They changed quickly, Kuroko before Kagami. “I’ll go and start the coffee machine,” Kuroko offered, carefully stepping across the futon and reaching out for the door.

“Alright. I’ll be down in two.”

Kuroko nodded, and carefully recalled the steps it took to get around the house, making his way down the narrow stairs.

No voice greeted him when he arrived in the kitchen, so his mother probably wasn’t up yet. Feeling his way along the side, Kuroko switched on the coffee machine, then reached up to open the cupboard for the mugs. He’d just picked up two when his hand knocked something, sending it crashing down and smashing on the floor.

Kuroko froze, not sure what to do. He couldn’t move, he had no idea what had smashed nor where the shards were, and he really didn’t feel like cutting his foot open right now.

“Kuroko!” Kagami’s voice came from the doorway. “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” Kuroko nodded, “I just smashed something.”

“Hold on a second,” Kagami murmured, hurrying over to him. There was a broken glass on the floor, shards everywhere.

Kuroko blinked as warm hands wrapped around his waist, lifting him up. He was carried a step or two, before he was sat on the kitchen counter.

“Wait here for a minute,” Kagami murmured, “And I’ll clean up. Do you know where the dustpan and brush is kept?”

“In the cupboard in the hallway,” Kuroko replied softly.

“I’ll be right back,” Kagami murmured, pressing a soft kiss to his lips, now on the same level since the counter was quite high.

Kuroko nodded, and listened to Kagami’s footsteps as they disappeared out of the kitchen.

“Tetsuya?!” his mom’s worried voice came in a second later, as she hurried into the kitchen.

“Wait, mom!” Kuroko said, holding a hand up in what he hoped was her direction. “I just smashed a glass. It’s okay. Kagami-kun’s gone to get the brush to sweep it up.”

“Ah, thank goodness. I was worried for a second there.”

Kuroko felt her hop onto the kitchen side next to him, her fingers coming over his and squeezing gently.

“You’ve got yourself a good man there, love,” she murmured.

Kuroko flushed. “I know,” he agreed, turning his hand over to squeeze back.

Thirty seconds later and Kagami was back in the kitchen, murmuring a quick good morning to Kuroko’s mom before starting to clear up the glass.

“I can do that, Kagami-kun,” Kuroko’s mom offered, but Kagami shook his head.

“It’s alright,” he declined gently. “It’s not a problem.”

The soft tinkle of glass on glass echoed as Kagami swept up all of the pieces, being extra thorough.

“Thank you, Kagami-kun,” Kuroko’s mom offered when Kagami had finished. “Sorry about that. I usually bring the plastic cups to the front whenever Tetsuya comes home, but I forgot this time.”

Kagami shook his head. “No harm, no foul,” he replied with a shrug. “You’re not bleeding or anything, are you Kuroko?”

Kuroko shook his head. “None of it hit me,” he assured his lover. “I’m fine.”

“Good,” Kagami sighed in soft relief.

A second later, the coffee machine beeped, signalling it was done.

“What would you like for breakfast?” Kuroko’s mom asked, hopping down from the counter. Kuroko followed and Kagami realised that Kuroko’s mom was actually shorter, if only by a couple of inches.

“Uh, I’ll eat anything,” Kagami replied.

Kuroko’s mom nodded and started to rummage through the fridge. “Just traditional, then?”

“That sounds wonderful,” Kagami replied honestly. She smiled back at him, and the two boys took a seat at the dining table after pouring the coffee.

They ate in companionable silence, Kuroko’s grandma not yet awake, and with the radio in the background providing an unobtrusive background to the atmosphere.

“Tetsuya, are you still seeing Dr. Tanaka?” His mom asked as she started to clear away the plates.

Kagami blinked in surprise.

“Yes, mom,” Kuroko replied, sipping his coffee. “But only every other month, now.”

“Dr. Tanaka?” Kagami murmured quietly as Kuroko’s mom turned away to do the washing up.

Kuroko twitched a little. He hadn’t yet told Kagami about this, mostly because it wasn’t all that important in terms of their relationship, and because it was kind of embarrassing for the blind boy. He still didn’t want to do anything that would put the other boy off, and hadn’t been sure if this would give him any doubts or second-thoughts.

“My therapist,” he admitted lowly. “He… I started seeing him after I lost my sight, and was going through… stuff. He helped me get back on my feet.”

Kagami’s hand gently squeezed his knee under the table, not sure what to say. He was a little surprised that Kuroko would need to see a therapist, he was always so collected and calm. But it must be hard being blind, and not just physically. Kagami had known this, had understood it, but never really thought about it until then.

“He really helped Tetsuya,” Kuroko’s grandma came in behind them, having overheard them. “And us, too. It was hard at the start, such a large adjustment to be made, not just for Tetsuya but the people around him, too, both physically and mentally.”

Kuroko’s mother nodded in agreement as she came to set Kuroko’s grandma’s breakfast in front of her.

Kuroko flushed a little, hands clasping in his lap and Kagami patted his knee gently, still not sure what he should say.

“But Tetsuya’s much better now,” Kuroko’s mom offered, ruffling her son’s hair lightly. “He’s always been strong.”

Kuroko flushed a little, and his hands loosened in his lap. “I wouldn’t have made it without everyone’s support,” he denied. “It was hard to accept personally, but in some ways it was easier for me to believe, for me to cope, since it was happening to me. And it was gradual, the loss, really. For everyone else though…”

“Tetsuya looked just the same, so it was hard to remember how much his situation had changed,” Kuroko’s grandma sighed softly.

Kagami sat, a little stunned. He hadn’t really pressed Kuroko for any details of his background other than what the blue-haired boy had been willing to share. As such he’d understood that it would have been hard, but never quite to what extent. And not just for Kuroko either but those around him… and for Kuroko to have had to deal with that too, with the changing attitudes and opinions of others, and still have come out so strong and so independent… Kagami felt a surge of pride fill him again for the other boy.

“But everything worked out,” Kuroko murmured, feeling a little uncomfortable with the topic. It wasn’t that he didn’t _want_ to talk about it, he just didn’t like the reminders of him being such a burden to everyone who had done so much for him. “I’m happy now.”

Kuroko’s mom smiled a little gratefully at Kagami. “That’s all that matters,” she agreed softly. “Anyway, you two should go and pack, save listening to us ramble on.”

“What time do we have to leave?” Kuroko asked.

“In about twenty minutes?” Kuroko’s mom replied. “The concert starts at two, but there’s some mingling and snacks beforehand, if you don’t mind, Tetsuya?”

Kuroko shook his head. “That’s fine.”

Kagami got up as Kuroko did, following the shorter boy up the stairs and back into his bedroom.

“You okay?” he murmured, wrapping his arms around Kuroko’s waist and pulling him back into him.

Kuroko folded his arms over Kagami’s around his waist and exhaled slowly.

“I’m fine. I just… it was a dark time,” he admitted, tilting his head back and feeling Kagami’s lips brush across his forehead. “And I’ve moved on.”

“You were so brave,” Kagami offered gently, relieved Kuroko didn’t make a single move to step away from him. “I know I probably don’t get all of it, don’t get how hard it was, since I only know this ‘you’, but if there is anything I can do, if there is anything you ever want to talk about… I’m here for you.”

Kuroko smiled softly. “I will,” he promised. “And likewise,” he returned. “I know your nightmares have pretty much gone,” he squeezed Kagami’s hand gently, “But if there’s anything left, or anything I can do…”

Kagami closed his eyes and pressed his face into Kuroko’s hair. “Just you being here is enough to help me to be strong enough to get over it,” he admitted. It was true. His nightmares of the fire, of the accident, had faded into a distant memory since Kuroko had become his. Kiyoshi had come back to work later than expected thanks to some last minute surgery, but thanks to that his knee was better than the doctors had predicted. And Kagami was _happy_ right now, where he was in life. With Kuroko by his side, everything else seemed to fade away.

“You’re so strong,” Kagami whispered admiringly. “This probably sounds weird but I’m so proud to know you, to be yours. I only wish I could have helped you through everything.”

Kuroko melted, turning in Kagami’s arms, wrapping his around the narrow waist. Pressing his face into Kagami’s chest, he took a few deep breaths before lifting his face and feeling as pleased as always when Kagami’s lips brushed over his.

“I’m so glad you asked me out,” Kuroko returned, fingers tightening in Kagami’s shirt as the redhead’s teeth tugged at his lower lip before breaking away. “Thank you for coming today. I know you were nervous, but my mom approves of you,” he admitted with a quiet chuckle.

“They’re both so nice,” Kagami admitted, “I wasn’t sure exactly what they think of me.”

Kuroko’s smile widened. “You don’t need to worry,” he promised gently, “They’d have made it clear if they didn’t like you. They might be kind, but they’re far from weak.”

Kagami sighed softly in relief. “Just like you, then,” he made Kuroko blush again, before pressing his lips back to those that had long since had him addicted.

But barely thirty seconds later, chatting coming up the stairs reminded them they had to pack so they separated reluctantly and did so, Kagami helping Kuroko place everything neatly into the bag as the blind boy missed a couple of things that weren’t in their proper place, before leaving their bags by the door so they could pick them up easily later.

It was a short car journey to the school, with Kagami and Kuroko squeezed in the tiny backseats. Kagami couldn’t stop a small sigh of relief as they arrived and he could unfold his legs, relaxing.

Kuroko’s mom offered him an apologetic smile which he returned a little sheepishly, before taking Kuroko’s hand to follow the others into the school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kagami is such a sap omfg ahaha
> 
> omg 6000 hits?!?!?!?!!?  
> Thank you all *^^* this will v soon be my most read fanfic! :o  
> yay for gay babes and fluff \\*^^*/
> 
> also thank you for all the lovely comments - sorry I haven't got back to any this week but life got hectic with moving back home/unexpected translation work - you are all amazing and I'm so glad you're enjoying reading this fic as much as I am writing it <3
> 
> see you all next week!


	17. Chapter 17

It was surprisingly crowded as they headed into the gymnasium, a large stage set up at one end with the piano in the centre. Kuroko held onto Kagami, a little overwhelmed by the sudden bursts of noise as they stepped into the room.

There were tables across the floor, most with chairs around them, Kagami assumed for later. People of all ages mingled, whether it was children, though those mostly seemed to be on the other side of the hall, where a large space had been cleared for them to play, or parents and grandparents.

“What’s this actually for?” Kagami asked, realising he didn’t know and feeling kind of bad.

Kuroko squeezed his arm gently, reassuring him. “It’s an annual event,” he explained, “Promoting awareness and so on of disabilities, today blindness, in the local community. There’s a disabled school nearby, and they partner up with various others to put on events like these. They bring the kids along too, to show them that their life isn’t all bleak, that they’ve got a future. Which is sort of what I’m here for,” he added quietly.

Kagami nodded, understanding. Placing his other hand over Kuroko’s, he squeezed gently and looked up as his mom approached them.

“Tetsuya,” she murmured softly, “there are some people who want to meet you. Are you okay with that?”

Kuroko nodded. “Of course.”

They were led over to a large group of people and Kuroko introduced to them all. Kagami hung back, not wanting to impose awkwardly, and excused himself once Kuroko was settled next to his mom to get them both drinks.

Kuroko’s grandma followed him to the table. Kagami felt nerves twitch in him again, not wanting to fuck up just when it was going well.

“Tetsuya’s a good person,” she said casually as they reached for the polystyrene cups and poured hot coffee into them. “If self-conscious. He’s always been that way, always making sure he’s providing what everyone else needs without being a burden on anyone. Even more so, nowadays. He needs someone who’ll make him be a burden, who’ll be someone who’ll let him rely on them without him even realising it, really.”

Kagami blinked, a little amazed at this, at the fact that he was actually being offered _advice_ from Kuroko’s grandma.

“I won’t let him take it all by himself,” he promised softly. “He deserves more than that.”

Her eyes met his for a long moment, but whatever she saw must have satisfied her as she nodded definitively and smiled gently at him. “You’re a good boy,” she murmured, surprising him even more. “I’m glad Tetsuya has you.”

Kagami flushed deeply, almost spilling the coffee all over himself. She chuckled softly.

“Let’s get back to them. The concert will start soon,” she offered, picking up two of the cups and starting to lead the way back to the group, leaving Kagami bemused as he followed her.

Kuroko’s hand twined with his as he reached them, small and a little clammy in his. Kagami squeezed gently, Kuroko’s grandma’s words echoing in his head.

“All the introduction-y stuff done then?” Kagami asked, noting that Kuroko was now just hovering in the fringes of the group, not really getting involved.

“Yes,” Kuroko nodded, “Though I will have to talk to someone after the concert, I’m not entirely sure what for. Something about a job maybe?”

“I see,” Kagami murmured, a little surprised but more impressed. He knew most of Kuroko’s funds at the moment came in the form of grants from the government and university for his disability, and that here and there the blind boy helped out with events and received a little bit of extra cash for those, but Kuroko had often mentioned how much he’d wanted a proper job, so he could stop relying on his parents, could work for himself. “That’ll be good then,” he squeezed his hand against softly.

Kuroko smiled and nodded. “You’re not too bored, are you?” he asked, leaning to one side gently so his arm pressed against Kagami’s- well, as much as it could considering their height difference.

“Nah. I’m looking forwards to hearing you play again,” he said honestly, and Kuroko felt his heart squeeze again.

“Speaking of…” Kagami trailed off as Kuroko’s mom headed over to them.

“Are you ready, Tetsuya?” she asked softly. “They’re ready for you whenever.”

Kuroko nodded. “I can do it now,” he agreed softly. With a final squeeze of Kagami’s hand, he let go and his mom led him up onto the stage. Kagami found a seat next to Kuroko’s grandma at the side of the hall, quiet falling as Kuroko was helped onto the bench and introduced by the host of the event.

Kagami didn’t realise he’d been holding his breath until the first note rang clear through the room and his heart flipped over. Kuroko played a few recognisable pieces to start, Mozart and Beethoven, before seguing into something a little softer, then something a little bolder that seemed to invigorate the hall, bring life into it, bring courage. Kagami’s eyes didn’t leave Kuroko, the blue-haired boy’s eyes shut on stage, fingers moving deftly from one side of the piano to the other. He was, simply, stunning.

An hour seemed to pass in a second and Kagami blinked as it suddenly ended, feeling that visceral reaction, that protest to the loss again. Staring up at stage as Kuroko was introduced again and said a couple of words, he found himself full of pride for the other boy, and full of astonishment for himself, that he’d been able to capture such an amazing male, that _he_ above all others had the honour of calling him his lover.

Kagami, lost in his thoughts, didn’t notice Kuroko’s grandma watching him. She’d been sure that Kagami was a good match for Kuroko as soon as her grandson had walked in with him, and that belief had only been strengthened last night and this morning. But this… what she saw was love, and it relieved her, that her grandson had someone who, even if he didn’t know it yet, loved him as deeply as humans could.

\--------

The concert ended without much fanfare. Kuroko, as usual, received a standing ovation, and was helped down off the stage, to sit and talk to a few of the disabled children who’d been sitting at the front, listening to him play.

Kagami wandered over, a little curious as to what Kuroko would say to the kids. There were about six of them, from about the ages of maybe six to someone who looked about their age. Kagami leant against the wall nearby, sipping on a cup of coffee and listening in unobtrusively to their conversation.

“Is it easier in Tokyo?” one of the younger girls, probably about twelve years old, asked, hands folded in her lap.

“I don’t know if you could say _easier_ ,” Kuroko mused softly. “Of course, everything is close by and nearer. But at the same time, there are so many more people, and not all of them are as understanding as those who you are used to. But if you have good friends out there, and are good at being independent… I don’t see why you should have to limit yourself just because of this. If you want to live somewhere, then I don’t see why you can’t.”

The girl visibly lit up, looking as if she’d had an epiphany.

“What about-,” the guy about their age hesitated a little, “uh… partners? Like girlfriends or boyfriends or whatever? How… is it okay?”

Kuroko flushed a little. “I… it is harder,” he admitted quietly, “I think. Maybe. But it all depends on your partner. Every couple has their problems, their limitations, and we just maybe have one more than most. But I found someone who understands, who accepts me anyway, and I… I think we’re very happy together, so… if you can find someone like that, I believe you should be able to make anything work.”

Kagami also felt his ears burning, pleasure suffusing through him. He knew he was happy, and had believed Kuroko was too, but to hear it from his lover’s mouth… it was the ultimate comfort.

“Um… I only lost my sight a few months ago,” another of the guys, this one about thirteen, started, “and I just… it’s so _hard_. Does it get easier or…?”

“It’s never easy,” Kuroko replied honestly, and Kagami felt his stomach tighten. “But it’s not easy for everyone who can see, either. I probably know some of what you’re feeling, the loss, the hopelessness, the confusion. And it won’t ever totally go away. But you can get used to it, you can continue on. It’s not the end, no-one should ever tell you that. You can always move forward, even if it is a baby step at a time.”

Kagami was distracted by Kuroko’s mother coming up to his side and handing him a fresh mug of coffee.

“You’re not too bored, are you, Kagami-kun?” she asked.

He shook his head. “Not at all. It’s actually quite… I’m still finding things out about Kuroko. I want… I want to help him more,” he admitted, staring into the black liquid in the cup. “It might not totally be my place, but I want so much more for him, whatever I can do for him.”

Her smile widened and she patted his hand gently. “Tetsuya told me you were a good person,” she said simply. “He knows what he’s doing. But just… be careful, okay? He’s been through a lot.”

Kagami nodded. “I know I don’t get it all yet,” he admitted, which pleased Kuroko’s mom greatly that Kagami wasn’t taking anything regarding her son for granted, “but I’m going to keep trying.”

“Well, we’ll support you,” she offered after a minute, noting the way Kagami’s eyes kept straying back to her son. “As long as you don’t hurt him.”

“I’ll do everything I can not to,” Kagami promised, meeting blue eyes the same as his lover’s for a long moment and seeing the strength there that Kuroko had mentioned this morning. They looked back, something his boyfriend’s couldn’t do, and evaluated him. Satisfied, Kuroko’s mom nodded.

“Anyway, I should go mingle, get us able to leave as soon as possible,” she laughed lightly, “Sorry about this.”

“Not at all!” Kagami denied, and watched as she left to the other side of the wall.

Kagami had lost track of Kuroko’s conversation with the other kids, and before he knew it Kuroko was standing up, having been approached by someone else.

“Well,” the piano player offered to the other children, “I’ve given my phone number out, so if you ever need anything, or even just want to talk, you can call me whenever, okay?”

The guys all nodded, thanking Kuroko one-by-one. A few of them looked much happier, or at least much more relieved than they had at the start, and Kagami felt more pride knowing that was probably thanks to what Kuroko had said.

Before Kagami could go over and reach his lover, Kuroko was pulled away by someone else. Kagami didn’t mind, but he did wish that he could tell Kuroko how well he’d done, again. Kuroko was just so amazing, and Kagami needed to tell him that. Kuroko didn’t seem to realise it, and it made Kagami a little mad, that someone so amazing couldn’t see how _good_ they actually were. With a sigh, he headed back to Kuroko’s grandma and sank into the seat next to her, barely listening in on her conversation with a number of her friends, all praising Kuroko.

Ten minutes later, Kuroko was left alone at the side of the hall for a long moment, but just as Kagami got up to fetch him, he was caught by someone else and Kagami had to stop his sigh.

Kuroko’s grandmother chuckled softly. “He’ll be done in ten more minutes,” she promised softly. “Don’t worry.”

Kagami nodded and flopped back into his chair. “Sorry.”

She shook her head. “Not at all.”

She was pulled away a second later by another friend coming over and Kagami sat back in the chair, watching as Kuroko’s mom went over to her son and finally managed to pull him away from the crowd trying to speak to him. She pulled him over to Kagami’s side of the hall and he stood up, finally getting to brush his fingers across Kuroko’s wrist as the blind boy was stood next to him.

“I’m just going to see if we can get going, then,” Kuroko’s mom offered, looking a little hassled. “I know you boys want to be getting home soon before it’s too late.”

Kuroko leant against Kagami briefly, feeling exhausted. The other boy’s fingers wrapped gently around his palm, providing comfort and support and Kuroko didn’t know how he’d be standing without it.

“Please,” he agreed weakly.

She offered a quick chuckle before disappearing again into the crowd.

“You were amazing,” Kagami leant down to murmur, squeezing Kuroko’s hand gently. “Every time I don’t think you can get any better, and every time you do.”

Kuroko felt his stomach explode and his heart melt. “Thank you,” he murmured quietly, tugging on Kagami’s hand to pull him closer, wanting the heat of his lover close by.

Kagami obliged, standing so they were almost hip to hip, holding him close.

“We’ll go back after this?” Kuroko asked. “Mom put our bags in the car earlier in case we ran over and said she can drop us off at the station.”

“It’s up to you,” Kagami replied softly. “Whatever you’re happy with. If you want to spend longer with your family…”

“I’m exhausted,” Kuroko admitted ruefully. “They’re coming to visit me in a couple of weeks anyway,” he added. “So it won’t be like I won’t see them for a while.”

Kagami nodded. “Alright then. Whatever makes you happy.”

Kuroko couldn’t stop the smile flitting across his face before he put his usual expression back on. But in all honesty, _Kagami_ was what made him happy. Not that he knew how to admit that right now. He would find a way though, soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry this is so late tonight/today! life has been hectic and I am swamped with work, hence why this is up later than usual...
> 
> also, I'm sorry to announce but I'm going on probably about a 3 week hiatus as of this chapter - I'm going away next Wednesday to Spain where I've also been informed I won't have any WiFi for the 2 and a half weeks that I'm there... :/ I'm going to try to upload another chapter next Wednesday, just to wrap up this little bit of the story, but might not be back for 3/4 weeks after that depending... sorryyyyy orz... I'm hoping (praying) to be back in time for Kagamicchi's birthday, for another birthday fic *^^* but it might be a day or two late depending on travel and the Eurotunnel and so on and so forth...
> 
> thank you all for sticking with me so far and I'm sorry to do this :/ especially as the season ended (omfg I cried so goddamn hard my sisters were just staring at me like 'what the fuck?' but oh god these precious babies and character development and KagaKuro was SO STRONG like ugh my heart) 
> 
> but anyway, thank you all again for all the kudos/bookmarks/comments (sorry I'm still bad at getting back to those :/) and sorry for the rambling, long note. hope you're all having a wonderful summer <3 and see you as soon as I can <3


	18. Chapter 18

An hour later and Kagami and Kuroko were being dropped off at the train station. It had taken them a while longer to get out of the hall, but eventually they had managed to fulfil all of their duties and leave.

Kuroko waited on the pavement as Kagami collected the bags and thanked Kuroko’s family for letting him stay. They both, surprisingly, hugged him before he could step away, before doing the same to Kuroko.

“We’ll see you soon, then,” Kuroko’s mom murmured. “Thank you so much for coming, Kagami-kun. Both of you take care now.”

Kagami nodded, returning the sentiment before taking Kuroko’s arm and leading him slowly into the train station. They managed to get on one of the faster Chuo lines, but the seats were all taken up except for one. Kagami helped Kuroko over to it, glancing at the other guys sprawled out rudely over the priority seats.

“Are you not sitting, Kagami-kun?” Kuroko asked softly, hand reaching out and catching Kagami’s trouser leg as he lifted their bags onto the luggage rack overhead, noting he was on the end seat and there was already someone sat on his other side.

“No space,” Kagami replied, patting Kuroko’s hand gently. “It won’t be that long anyway on this line. Only like half an hour.”

Kuroko sighed quietly, feeling a little guilty. “If you want to sit at all, let me know, okay? I can stand for a bit.”

“It’s alright,” Kagami squeezed Kuroko’s hand reassuringly before letting go. “Don’t worry about it. You should sleep, though, if you can. You look exhausted.”

Kuroko gave a sheepish smile. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Kagami scolded softly, “There’s no need to apologise. I’ll wake you up when we’re almost there, so don’t worry about it. Just sleep.”

\--------

Kuroko was woken half an hour later, having fallen asleep almost instantly. Feeling a little embarrassed, and guilty as he realised Kagami must have stood the entire time, he held on to the hand which helped him up and stood as the train came to a stop.

Kagami helped him off and it was only half way down the stairs that Kuroko realised he hadn’t even taken his bag back, and Kagami was carrying both of them.

“I can take my bag,” he murmured as the exited the station and took the right towards Kagami’s apartment.

“It’s alright,” Kagami replied, squeezing his hand. “They’re both light. Plus you’re exhausted.”

“I feel better now,” Kuroko sighed honestly, “That nap did wonders.”

Kagami chuckled. “Good. You were really amazing today,” he added softly, squeezing his hand again.

Kuroko felt himself melt again. How was Kagami this… _kind?_ He hated reducing it down to such a vague, simple word, but couldn’t find any others that encompassed everything that Kagami was.

“Thank you. And thank you for coming,” Kuroko said honestly. “My family really enjoyed meeting you.”

“I enjoyed meeting them too,” Kagami assured him gently. “Thank you for letting me meet them.”

Kuroko felt himself melt further. Kagami was just… _perfect_.

\--------

They arrived back at Kagami’s an hour later, having stopped by Maji Burger to get dinner, neither of them in the mood to wait for food.

“I’m just gonna take a shower,” Kagami sighed, chucking his stuff out the way.

“Okay,” Kuroko nodded, following him into the bedroom.

“You want one?”

“In the morning, maybe,” Kuroko replied. “If you don’t mind me staying over?”

“Of course not,” Kagami denied, ruffling his hair lightly. “I’ll be out in five then. Make yourself at home.”

Kuroko nodded, feeling his way over to the bed once he heard the door to the bathroom shut lightly.

Flopping down face first, he was assaulted with the scent of Kagami, all cleanliness and mild sweat and a little bit of washing powder. Inhaling deeply, he squeezed his fists shut and wondered for the thousandth time what colour the bedsheets were. What colour the walls were.

And Kuroko _knew_ that none of it mattered, that Kagami wasn’t defined or changed by the décor he chose, but it would still maybe have given him a clue into his life. They’d been together for over three months now, and Kuroko knew a lot about his lover, but aside from what he’d learnt intimately, and from Kagami’s words, everything was second-hand from other people’s mouths. And he was happy with that, knew everything he needed to know. But somewhere, Kuroko wished for more. No matter how impossible it was, no matter how much he accepted it, he wondered if there would always be that tiny part of him that would never be satisfied with all that he had.

He wondered if Kagami was satisfied too, if the redhead had everything he wanted.

_If I just ate you instead?_

Kuroko’s mouth went dry as the seemingly random thought popped into his head.

_You can have me as much as you want tonight_.

His own words followed and his cheeks heated. Hearing the shower turn on, Kuroko took a deep breath for courage and sat up, pulling off his jacket and t-shirt. His trousers followed but he paused with his thumbs in the waistband of his boxers, swallowing hard, losing confidence.

Leaning back against the headboard, Kuroko opened his eyes and sighed when familiar darkness continued to greet him. But he barely had a second to think before the bathroom door was opening, and Kuroko realised belatedly the shower had shut off a couple of minutes ago.

“You alright?” Kagami murmured, blinking as Kuroko’s half-naked form greeted him, half-reclining in the middle of the bed.

Kuroko held his hand out silently, feeling the tips of his ears burn. Barely a second later, Kagami’s hand was in his. “I’m not dressed yet,” Kagami murmured, holding the towel around his hips up with his other hand.

Kuroko felt his pulse spike. “That’s okay,” he murmured huskily, licking his suddenly dry lips.

Kagami felt his own pulse quicken. Fuck. He’d tried to calm himself down in the shower, reasoning that Kuroko was clearly exhausted from today and in no mood to fulfil his offer from this morning, but he was suddenly being proven wrong and all of his hard-wrought control was quickly slipping out of his grasp before he could focus.

“I won’t be able to stop,” Kagami warned softly, climbing onto the bed, settling himself across Kuroko’s thighs, other hand letting go of the towel to cup his lover’s face.

“That’s okay,” Kuroko repeated, stomach clenching and releasing, hand sliding up his forearm to pull him closer. “Don’t stop.”

“Ah, Kuroko,” Kagami’s sigh sealed against his lips, a soft kiss that quickly turned hot as tongues twined and breaths mingled.

Kuroko shifted restlessly under the taller boy, wrapping his arms around his shoulders and pulling him close. Kagami went willingly, the towel falling away so Kuroko’s hands had free access to the strong muscles of his back and lower down.

Kagami groaned softly as Kuroko’s fingers sank into his ass, pulling him closer so his growing erection pressed against the soft bulge also getting bigger in Kuroko’s boxers. Their hips pressed together, friction making the tension tighten yet another notch. Kuroko sighed softly, arching up as a wide hand slid down his back, into his shorts, cupping his ass and pulling him close.

“Fuck, Kuroko,” Kagami gasped, pulling back to breathe, to clear his head for a second. Reaching over, his hand fumbled for the lube and condoms as Kuroko, growing impatient, stripped himself of his boxers.

But before Kagami could lie back over the smaller boy, Kuroko had sat up, hands reaching out and landing on Kagami’s chest. Sliding down, Kuroko used the chance to explore further, feeling muscles tense and ripple under his fingertips. Kagami had always done so much for him, had always been so careful, so loving, and Kuroko wanted to pay back the favour.

Sighing softly, Kuroko held his breath and listened for Kagami’s reactions as his hands slid lower and lower, finally reaching Kagami’s erection, fingers wrapping around it, stroking gently.

Kagami groaned lowly, watching the expressions flicker across his boyfriend’s face, as small, delicate fingers started to move.

“Kuroko,” he gasped, hips bucking as fingertips brushed his tip, dabbing the wetness around.

Kuroko brought his fingers to his lips, smearing the liquid across his lips and licking it off, hopefully seductively. He’d always liked the taste of Kagami, though never really being the one to take the initiative he was never really forward enough be the one dominating. It didn’t mean that he wasn’t equal to him though, he was well aware of this, and supressed his smile at Kagami’s low moan, cut off suddenly as his lover’s mouth sealed over his, holding him tight.

“Next time,” Kagami promised lowly, “You can do more. But I need you so badly right now,” Kagami murmured, not a little desperately. “Shit, Kuroko.”

Kuroko groaned, arching up as Kagami’s fingers, suddenly slick with lube, slid around to his entrance and made short work of preparing him.

Pausing, Kuroko pushed Kagami away, breathing heavily.

“You okay?” Kagami asked, concern overriding arousal for one short moment.

Heart melting again, Kuroko nodded, cupping Kagami’s face with his hands and brushing a quick kiss across Kagami’s lips as he sat up, then rolled over – hands feeling carefully to make sure he didn’t fall off the bed, not sure exactly where he was on it – and got on all fours, something they’d only done twice before, but that Kuroko had really enjoyed.

Kagami’s groan was worth the heat burning Kuroko’s cheeks.

“ _Fuck_ ,” the redhead murmured lowly behind him, “You’re so hot, Kuroko.”

Kuroko’s words were lost as two fingers re-entered him, curling and teasing, making his toes curl into the duvet.

Hot kisses were pressed across his shoulder blades, as Kagami’s other hand slid around his stomach, up to his chest, teasing his nipples, praises being murmured in his ear in that husky voice that set him on fire.

“ _Please,”_ Kuroko groaned, pressing back as he got used to the third finger again, needing more as he hovered on the verge of orgasm.

Kagami felt all control slip at the needy whine, pulling his fingers loose and rolling the condom on with the other hand.

Kuroko groaned, pressing his face into the pillow to muffle the noise as the familiar burn of Kagami stretching him open removed all other thought processes. Kagami’s hands were hot around his hips, every stroke and slight movement driving him higher and higher.

Kagami leant over, pressing his lips to Kuroko’s nape, and the angle changed making them both gasp. Kuroko pressed back, fingers clenching in the sheets, even as one of Kagami’s hands came to cover his, fingers intertwining. Kuroko held on, trying hard to focus, to not come too soon.

But all thoughts of that vanished as Kagami’s other hand wrapped around his erection, painfully hard and leaking everywhere.

“Kagami!” Kuroko came, body bowing under the impact, arms giving way, shuddering in pleasure.

Kagami followed barely a second later, wondering what it had been about Kuroko dropping the _–kun_ that had been so sexy. His vision wavered, pressing his face tightly into Kuroko’s neck, holding on as his world narrowed, focused solely around the boy underneath him, around him, and he knew for sure he was a total goner. He’d never want another.

Kuroko eventually rolled onto his side as Kagami collapsed off him, out of breath still.

“Fuck, Kuroko,” a soft kiss accompanied the words, both basking in the afterglow.

Kuroko sighed in happiness and pleasure, hand reaching out to be taken in Kagami’s as usual. Safe, comfortable and warm, Kuroko felt waves of sleep rise up to take him under. A quiet yawn slipped past his defences and he heard Kagami chuckle, even as the duvet was pulled out from under him and another draped over him instead.

“I’m just gonna put these sheets in the wash,” Kagami murmured, watching Kuroko as he curled up on one side of the bed. “You can sleep if you want, I’ll be right back.”

A hummed agreement left Kuroko’s immobile form and Kagami smiled softly, leaving the room quickly.

He came back less than five minutes later, sure Kuroko would be dead asleep. Flicking off the light, he slid under the covers and pulled Kuroko close.

“G’night, Kagami-kun,” Kuroko mumbled softly, pressing his face into Kagami’s collarbone as usual.

Kagami smiled against Kuroko’s hair, giving him a quick kiss as he returned the sentiment. Holding his lover in his arms, more content than he could ever remember, Kagami, too, slept.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry this is late! orz ... have some smut to make up for it??
> 
> and I am so, so sorry (again) but updates may be a little sporadic for a while - my bestie from Japan has come to visit so we'll be traversing the country for a couple of weeks and WiFi is not a guaranteed thing (and neither is me taking my laptop around tbh...) and then my bestie from America is coming so idk when I'm gonna have the time to write/upload...  
> orz :'(
> 
> but I'm going to do my best to write & update where I can - I'm so sorry to do this to all of you lovely readers, and I can promise that things will even out mid-September when I move back to uni (I'm sorry that's so far away as well)
> 
> but thank you all for the lovely comments - Spain was great <3 hot and I got sunburnt because I'm an idiot but it was worth it. hope you're not too mad at me for leaving this for so long. see you all as soon as possible!


	19. Chapter 19

The next morning Kuroko, unusually, woke before Kagami. Wrapped safe in the taller boy’s arms, he smiled, more than content. Shifting so he could loosen the covers wrapped tight around him, his hips ached a little, but more in a reminder of the pleasure than anything and he sighed happily.

Kagami’s breathing caressed his hair and Kuroko pulled back a little, wondering what his face looked like. But pushing those thoughts away, he freed one of his hands and lifted it up, brushing his lover’s jaw, stroking back into his hair.

He wasn’t sure how lightly Kagami was sleeping so prevented himself from touching his face, but his fingers trailed down Kagami’s neck, brushing over the delicate skin there before bumping into the chain that Kuroko had felt a few times before. Sliding his fingers along the metal, the same temperature as Kagami’s body, he paused when he felt something on the chain.

Picking it up delicately in his fingers, he found himself going a little cold as he realised it was a ring. What did that mean? Was Kagami-? Kuroko instantly cut off those thoughts and berated himself for jumping to conclusions. It could have been anything, but that didn’t mean that Kagami had someone else.

_He’s always got this ring on a chain around his neck_. Kise’s words from ages ago surfaced in his head and Kuroko felt hands go a little cold, wondering what that meant, what the significance of that was.

Stomach going a little slick, he dropped the ring and pulled his hand back to his chest, unsure of what to do.

But he wasn’t given much opportunity to decide as Kagami stirred ten seconds later, his arm tightening around Kuroko’s waist.

“’Morning,” he whispered, voice rough with sleep in a way that always managed to heat Kuroko’s blood.

“Good morning,” Kuroko replied softly.

“What’s wrong?” Kuroko felt Kagami shift, felt his hand come to his head and gently pat his hair down. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Kuroko murmured, but kept his hands close to his chest, not reaching out for the other boy. Kagami frowned.

“ _Something’s_ wrong,” Kagami insisted softly. “If you don’t want to talk about it you don’t have to,” he reminded Kuroko gently when the other boy remained silent, “But don’t forget that I’m here for you, whenever you want.”

Kuroko felt even worse at Kagami’s concerned, honest tone.

 “It’s nothing,” Kuroko insisted, “I just…” Kuroko squeezed his eyes shut, fists clenching softly, “I know I’m being stupid, and cruel to you in what I’m thinking but… whose ring is that around your neck?”

Kagami blinked, having not expected that. “You thought? Oh, Kuroko,” he sighed softly, sitting up. Kuroko felt his stomach go slick, worried that he’d fucked up, that this would be it.

“Sorry,” Kagami murmured, wrapping his hand around Kuroko’s and pressing a soft kiss to his fingers. Kuroko’s stomach tightened, loosened, tightened again, so unsure and worried. What was happening? “I should have explained to you before. But I’m not cheating on you. Never have, never will. This… it’s a sort of friendship ring, I guess,” Kagami murmured, running the fingers not twined with Kuroko’s over the ring. “My brother- well, he’s not my brother,” Kagami sighed. “I’m not explaining this very well. But basically, when I was in America I had some issues with English and couldn’t make friends very well and everything.”

Kuroko sat up slowly, fingers still in Kagami’s, heartbeat slowing, wishing he’d never asked even as he wanted, _needed_ to hear this. “And then I met Tatsuya, who was another Japanese kid living out there. He spoke in Japanese to me, and we became friends. He’s the one who taught me basketball, actually,” Kagami admitted quietly. “And we got these rings as kids, but since they’d get in the way of our basketball we put them on chains… But then we… we got too competitive, and ended up putting our brotherhood sort of on the line with this competition sort of? I guess… anyway, we were meant to play one final game but I haven’t seen him since, really. He came over here for High School but we never got to meet for long enough, and now he’s back in the US for university. We message here and there, but it’s not quite… it’s not the same,” Kagami finished, a little sadly.

“I’m sorry,” Kuroko murmured, both for doubting Kagami and for his sad tale.

Kagami shook his head, brushing his lips against Kuroko’s knuckles so he could tell. “It’s fine. I’m not mad, it was totally justified. But I’d never cheat on you.”

“I know. I do,” Kuroko admitted quietly, bending down to press his lips to Kagami’s knuckles in return. “I’m sorry,” he murmured against soft skin. Kagami hummed lowly, denying the need for an apology, fingers gently lifting Kuroko’s face. Kagami’s lips met his and they melted into each other, a soft, silent make-up over something that wasn’t even technically a fight.

“Oh, I should probably mention Alex,” Kagami added, a little reluctantly. “She’s got a habit of randomly turning up, mostly to watch me play, but crashes here when she does. She was my coach,” he explained, sitting up but keeping his hands in Kuroko’s, thumb rubbing soothing circles on Kuroko’s wrist. “So if there’s ever a strange American woman in the apartment, it’ll be her. She can speak Japanese though, and I’ve told her about you,” he added with a bit of a flush, “Not a lot. She… she might want to meet you though. She had a sort of similar thing happen to her, where her eyesight deteriorated thanks to an illness. She can still see with her glasses, but her career as a WNBA pro went out the window.”

Kuroko felt his stomach tighten in sympathy for the stranger. He’d lost his entire sight, yes, but he hadn’t yet set himself on a definite future, had more time and so on to determine what path he would take, what goal he would reach for. To be so close and to have that ripped away… Kuroko couldn’t imagine how she’d felt.

“I’d like to meet her too,” Kuroko murmured. “I’d like to meet the people important to Kagami-kun.”

“I’ll let you know when- _if_ , I know when she’s coming over next,” Kagami offered.

The soft atmosphere was interrupted a second later when the redhead’s stomach growled. Kuroko couldn’t stop a chuckle as a soft noise of surprise left Kagami’s lips.

“Breakfast?”

\--------

Twenty minutes later, Kuroko was humming in appreciation as Kagami set an omelette in a dish in front of him, the smell making his mouth water and stomach growl.

Kagami chuckled at the sound, pressing a spoon into Kuroko’s hand.

“So,” Kagami remember as he sat down, “Did whoever wanted to talk to you after the concert yesterday manage to? Was it for a job?”

“Oh,” Kuroko swallowed his spoonful before answering. “Yes. Sort of. The woman, Ms. Yamazawa, who wanted to talk to me works on soundtracks, of anime and movies and all sorts. She’s currently looking for a new pianist for a new soundtrack she’s trying to create, and asked me if I’d be interested…”

“You gonna do it?”

“I’m not sure,” Kuroko hesitated, “I mean… it would be a really good opportunity. But I’m not sure I’d be able to make a piece that would be right for what she wants, if you know what I mean… I just… I’ve never composed anything that seriously before.”

Kagami hummed softly. “But if it’s you I’m sure you could do it,” he said simply.

Kuroko felt pleasure suffuse him at the simple, believing words. He couldn’t stop the blush rising to his cheeks and ducked his head to hide it. “I’ll try,” he gave in easily, and had to wonder at how easily Kagami could give him confidence in almost anything, with as little as a short sentence.

Kagami’s hand came to squeeze his briefly, his lover chuckling, and Kuroko resumed eating to hide the smile on his face.

“So what d’you wanna do today?” Kagami asked as he collected both their bowls and went to wash up. “I’ve got nothing to do, and it is Sunday. You got any plans?”

“I’ve got nothing to do either,” Kuroko replied. “Although…”

“Hmm?” Kagami prompted when Kuroko paused.

“The soundtrack for the film… the film’s based on a book and I was hoping to maybe find an audio book of it, just to get a feel for the plot and characters and everything…”

“You wanna go into town then?”

\--------

An hour and a half later, Kuroko and Kagami were in the middle of a bookstore, browsing the audio tapes. Kuroko, usually having to rely on shop workers to help him, was somewhat relieved as Kagami had just instantly led him to where he needed to be and started searching.

“I can’t find it,” Kagami groaned, having checked the bookshelves three times.

“It might not exist,” Kuroko admitted, “I asked, but Yamazawa-san only said it was possible. Or it might not have been made yet.”

“What do you wanna do then? We can check another store?”

Kuroko shook his head, fingers clasping his own wrists as he folded his arms over his stomach. “This bookstore is the best around here for audio CDs. It’s okay. She said she’d explain everything to me if I took the job, anyway.”

“Well you know… I could read the book to you, if you wanted?”

Kuroko blinked, the thought having never crossed his mind. “Is that… do you mind?” Kuroko pushed past the thoughts that he was being a burden again, his mild desire to listen to Kagami talk overriding his instinctive rejection of the offer. Guilt flickered through him the second he finished the words, but before he could take them back Kagami’s hand was squeezing his discreetly.

“Of course not,” Kagami denied. “Anything for you.”

Kuroko flushed, but clung to Kagami’s fingers for a moment or two longer than necessary in thanks.

It took them another three hours to get home, having found the book, then gone to buy Kagami new basketball shoes while they were out anyway, before a brief stop in Maji Burger to get Kuroko a vanilla shake. They got back and Kagami settled on the sofa while Kuroko ran to the toilet before returning to his side.

As he came back, Kuroko felt a warm hand around his waist and was tugged down onto Kagami’s lap. He smiled into the kiss, leaning back against the arm rest. He broke off after a minute, stomach warm and fuzzy.

“Read to me?” he requested quietly. They weren’t doing anything else this evening, and had agreed on the way home that all they really wanted to do was relax and probably cuddle.

Kagami chuckled, but one hand left Kuroko’s waist and reached for the book besides them. Flipping open the first page, his other hand twined with one of Kuroko’s and he started to read aloud.

\--------

Kuroko wasn’t sure how it had happened, but an hour later, Kagami had finished the fourth chapter and his head was on Kagami’s lap. The hand that wasn’t holding the book was petting through blue hair, enjoying the silky sensation against his fingers.

Sighing a little in pleasure, Kuroko rolled onto his side, feeling the soft, snuggly warmth of Kagami’s sweatpants under his cheek. Kagami’s hand slid behind his head, cupping his nape, tracing the shell of his ear, distracting Kuroko from the story.

That wasn’t all, either. Kagami smelt so good, and his thigh was so firm but strangely comfortable under his ear. And his voice was low and husky and he even did the changes in tone for each different character which made Kuroko smile.

A little restless, Kuroko’s hand curled just in front of his face on Kagami’s thigh, and ideas started to float up. Holding back his smile, his hand slid up Kagami’s thigh slowly, delicately, wondering if Kagami would notice, if he would stop him.

Kagami blinked as a quiet pressure pressed over his upper thighs, heading towards his crotch. Putting the book to one side, he held his breath as Kuroko’s fingers danced delicately, before settling over him and pressing down gently.

“What are you doing?” he asked quietly, not wanting to spoil the atmosphere.

“Do you want me to stop?” Kuroko asked, rolling his palm slowly and feeling a burst of satisfaction as Kagami clearly responded under his touch.

“Ah… don’t stop… please,” Kagami murmured, wanting to kiss Kuroko but also wanting to let the other boy lead, to see what he’d do.

Kuroko smiled softly and sat up without moving his hand. Lifting his head, he answered Kagami’s unspoken plea, moaning softly as Kagami’s lips brushed over his.

It was soft, almost chaste, keeping the atmosphere low-key and unhurried. Kuroko’s palm moved slowly, almost without any pressure, teasing Kagami without being frustrating.

Kagami went to return the favour, but Kuroko’s hand caught him before he could, pressing them both to his chest.

“I want to give you something,” he murmured softly against Kagami’s mouth, breaking off the kiss for a long moment to tug at his lover’s sweatpants. Kagami arched up a little, allowing Kuroko to pull them down and release his now fully-hard erection.

“I get pleasure from your pleasure,” Kagami returned, but kept his hands where they were, able to feel Kuroko’s heartbeat under his fingertips.

Kuroko smiled softly and pressed a slightly-clumsy kiss to the side of Kagami’s mouth for that, even as his hand wrapped around the erection below him and drew out a low moan from his lover.

Kagami dropped his head back against the sofa as Kuroko’s mouth moved downwards, the smaller boy shifting to one side of the sofa so he had more space to manoeuvre as his mouth got lower and lower, teasing Kagami through the fabric of his t-shirt, pushing it up when he reached his abs.

Kagami groaned as Kuroko finally pressed his lips to the tip of him, licking up the tiny beads of precum. Now free, one hand slid into Kuroko’s hair, stroking through the strands, twisting them around his fingers, and the other gripped the arm of the sofa for support, to ground himself as Kuroko’s breath caressed his shaft before the smaller male lowered his mouth around him.

“ _Fuck_ ,” Kuroko heard Kagami sigh into the quiet, hand clenching in his hair. Feeling pleased that Kagami was enjoying this, he continued, using the soft sounds Kagami made, the quiet twitches of his hips and the throbbing under his lips to judge what Kagami liked best, what felt good for the basketball player.

It was five more slow, gentle minutes later, the atmosphere still undisturbed but infused with a quiet love covering everything, that Kagami came with a choked gasp and Kuroko slowly pulled back, resting his head on Kagami’s thigh again.

Long fingers gently massaged his scalp as Kagami came down from his high.

“Let me return the favour?” the hoarse, quiet voice broke the stillness several peaceful minutes later.

Kuroko shook his head, pressing a kiss to Kagami’s thigh. “I’m okay,” he promised honestly. “I just… wanted to say thank you.”

“You don’t have to do that with sexual favours,” Kagami’s voice wasn’t really reprimanding, “You know I’m happy just being with you. You being by my side is all the thanks I need.”

Kuroko flushed and turned his head into Kagami’s leg, hiding his burning cheeks. Kagami chuckled, pulling his sweatpants back up, still endlessly twining his fingers through blue strands.

“Not that I’m not grateful for your thanks,” he added huskily, and had to hide his smile as even Kuroko’s ears turned pink.

Kuroko just mumbled something unintelligible and held his hand up over his head. Unable to stop his smile, Kagami’s fingers laced with his and rested gently on Kagami’s thigh, both just willing to relax in the silence for the rest of this peace-filled afternoon.


	20. Chapter 20

The next month was busier than the last few had been, but Kuroko and Kagami continued as they were, making more time for each other around all of their other obligations, though this wasn’t much more than usual, unfortunately. One of the large basketball tournaments was coming up, so Kagami’s training increased in the run up, despite autumn break arriving, giving them time off, but Kuroko was also busy collaborating with Yamazawa-san on the soundtrack. The work had been going smoother than Kuroko had expected, and he’d also been enjoying himself more than he’d anticipated. He hoped he’d be able to do a good job so maybe he could do this again. Kagami had been more than supportive when Kuroko had admitted that to him, and offered to support him all the way.

But nothing else had particularly changed. Kuroko’s mom and grandma had come up for a weekend, but Kagami had had a basketball training camp at the same time so hadn’t been able to see them again. They’d expressed their disappointment, and left Kuroko with both cake for the other boy and orders for them both to come back and visit soon.

September arrived, and after a lot of debating and scheduling, Kuroko and Kagami had organised a sort-of picnic with Aomine and Kise to enjoy the last of the changing of the leaves before the typhoon season arrived, so were meeting the two of them in a park close to Kuroko’s apartment.

They arrived first, setting up the blanket in a spot just out of the sun, watching everyone else also scramble for decent spots around them. Kagami helped Kuroko sit, flopping down next to his lover once he was settled. Nigou was let off his lead, but clearly couldn’t be bothered to move as the dog just moved a couple of metres away, underneath the nearest tree and curled up in the shade, going to sleep.

“I texted Aomine and Kise where we are,” Kagami murmured, leaning back on his elbows as he stretched his legs out in front of him, wiggling his toes free of his shoes, leaving them at the edge of the blanket.

“Okay,” Kuroko replied, sat cross legged, fingers loosely clasped in his lap.

“You alright?” Kagami asked quietly, fingers brushing across his knee in concern. “You’re quiet.”

Kuroko smiled in his direction, comforted by the question as always. “I’m fine,” he promised his lover. “A little tired.”

“We don’t have to stay long, if you don’t want to,” Kagami offered, but Kuroko shook his head.

“No. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Kise-kun and Aomine-kun. It will be good to catch up with them again,” he declined the offer. “I am just tired, I promise.”

“Alright then,” Kagami tilted his head back and closed his eyes, inhaling the fresh air and letting the indistinct murmurs of the conversations around them wash over him.

Kuroko relaxed a little, letting his legs stretch out hesitantly, relieved when he only found more blanket, rather than grass or Kagami’s legs. After a minute, he felt Kagami shuffle so he was sat almost hip-to-hip, hand going back to prop him up and twining with Kuroko’s when he did the same.

“What does it look like?” Kuroko asked softly, hesitantly, his heart in his throat. He could hear the laughter and cries of children running around, feel the sun on his face and the blanket under his hands. It felt… _good_ , the fresh air and the sort of freedom granted from the feeling of a quiet breeze across his skin.

Kagami squeezed his fingers gently. “It’s… pretty,” he murmured. “The trees are above us and stretch for about a hundred metres to our left, and about two hundred, probably, to our right, but with paths and stuff breaking that up. The colours are all there, from reds to green to gold, and leaves are falling here and there. There’re kids everywhere,” he said, “running, playing, and parents looking exasperated.”

Kuroko smiled softly, leaning to one side so his head rested on Kagami’s arm. “And in the middle of it all,” Kagami murmured, feeling stupid but going for it anyway, “There’s this boy sat on a blue and red checked blanket under one of the bigger trees. He’s pale and looks fragile, like he’ll break with the next wind, even as you can tell instinctively that he’s strong, that he’d be no pushover. And his eyes are as blue as the sky, and just as clear. And he’s got a leaf in his hair, and he’s the most beautiful thing here.”

Kuroko felt his breath catch in his throat as Kagami’s fingers pulled the leaf from his hair. Closing his eyes, he let his smile out, not wanting to hide his happiness right now. And then it was Kagami’s turn for his breath to catch in his throat as the smile bloomed across Kuroko’s lips, brighter and more stunning and breath-taking than anything around him.

Their moment was interrupted a second later when Kise came bounding over, flopping down onto the blanket with a sigh.

“Hey Kurokocchi! Kagamicchi! Sorry for making you wait!” he said, wiggling onto a corner of the blanket as he toed his undoubtedly expensive designer shoes off carelessly into the grass.

“Can you quit with the _cchi_ already?” Kagami sighed, but Kise was cut off before he could reply.

“Oi!” Aomine growled as he reached the three of them with an annoyed expression, chucking a bag onto his boyfriend and making him wail. “Don’t f- run off,” Aomine paused and corrected himself, noting the children nearby.

“Hello Aomine-kun, Kise-kun,” Kuroko murmured calmly, sitting up straighter, letting go of Kagami’s hand with a squeeze.

“Kurokocchi! It feels like it’s been _forever_ ,” Kise stressed, though for once didn’t jump all over him, just wriggled about, trying to find a decent spot. He only seemed to when Aomine also folded himself down next to the blond, so Kise could lean against him. Aomine tsked, but made no move to push him away, and Kise looked to be a hundred times more pleased with himself.

“Bakagami,” Aomine jerked his chin the redhead’s way and Kagami returned it.

“Ahomine.”

It took them less than five minutes to start getting the food out, all of them having brought something to share. Kagami picked both his and Kuroko’s portions from the selection, stomach growling in hunger. The other two seemed to be the same, and all of them were in silent agreement that proper conversation would happen after they’d satisfied their appetites.

So half an hour later, almost all of the food had been devoured and Kuroko was sipping a soda, pleasantly full. Nigou had moved back to them at the promise of food and was curled up now under Kuroko’s hand, slow breathing indicating the dog was taking yet another nap.

“So how’s that soundtrack of yours coming along, Tetsu?” Aomine yawned through one hand, stretching the other arm behind Kise to lean against his lover.

“It’s almost finished, thank you, Aomine-kun,” Kuroko replied. “They’re compiling the last few tracks and then I’ll have a copy if everything is as the producer wants it to be.”

“Good.”

“We actually have some news,” Kise started after a moment, nudging Aomine. Aomine just shrugged, letting the blond take over. “We won’t be here after New Years for a while.”

“Where are you going?” Kuroko followed on from the statement as Kise’s voice paused again. He blinked as Kagami’s hand reached behind him, arm providing support against his side, almost inviting the blue-haired boy to lean against him like before, which he did almost instantly.

“Well, I… my agency wants me to start taking my image abroad,” Kise started, “So I’ve been invited to L.A. for a few different shoots, and since I don’t really have many classes next semester, they’ve negotiated with the school that I take a month or two off. And Aominecchi’s going on a term-abroad focused on basketball, to get to play with a load of other international students, also in L.A.”

“You got it then?” Kagami asked, having heard that Aomine had been applying to the winter programme. Kagami had thought about it, but with things as they were with Kuroko he had wanted to stay here. Plus there was the volunteering at the fire-station, and the fact that his dad was still in L.A. so he could go back at any time.

“Yeah,” Aomine rubbed the back of his neck a little sheepishly.

“You guys got a place to stay?” Kagami asked, the idea occurring to him.

They shook their head in sync. “My agent’s trying to find me somewhere,” Kise admitted. “The agency out there is too, but I’ve heard nothing yet.”

“There are dorms,” Aomine said, “but I haven’t got round to it yet.”

“Well, y’know,” Kagami started, “If shit doesn’t work out or whatever, my dad’s out there and has got a spare room in the apartment. You’d probably have to share but I doubt that’s a problem,” he grinned a little, “And it’d be cheaper.”

“Really?” Kise stared at him, stunned. “Where is he in L.A. though?”

“Right on the coast. I’ll email you the address and stuff later,” Kagami offered, “And you can decide. Just let me know whenever. He might not even be there, depending on business trips and stuff.”

“But meeting Kagamicchi’s dad!” Kise grinned, “I wonder if he’s like you. Ah, I wanna meet him now!”

Kagami shrugged.

“Thanks, Kagamicchi,” Kise grinned brightly, and even Aomine made a rough noise that could be taken as a ‘thank you’ before they turned the conversation back to basketball and general life.

\--------

Three hours later it started to get colder so the four started to pack up. Kuroko needed to use the bathroom, and Aomine volunteered to go with him, saying he needed a piss as well.

“It’s very impressive that you got onto the programme, Aomine-kun,” Kuroko murmured as they made their way across the grass. “Congratulations.”

“Thanks, Tetsu. And you, for that soundtrack. I hope it all works out.”

“Thank you.”

They walked in silence for another minute or so. “So… Kagami and you are going okay?”

“Yes,” Kuroko nodded. “Very well.”

Aomine used a cough to hide his half-laugh, half noise of derision. “Good,” he said honestly. “I’m glad for you,” he admitted, rubbing his neck awkwardly, “He’s an idiot, but a good one, I guess.”

Kuroko smiled, pleased with Aomine’s words. The basketball prodigy had come a long way from the self-centred, egoistical boy he’d first met.

Ten minutes later Kagami and Kise met them outside the toilets, having packed up and made the short trek over the small field.

“I’ll email you the details later, then,” Kagami reminded Kise, “Either way, it’s cool.”

“Thanks, Kagamicchi. I’ll let you know whenever we decide.”

Kagami nodded before turning to Kuroko, pressing Nigou’s lead into his hand.

“Well, we’d better get off,” Aomine yawned, turning to Kise.

Kise nodded, “I’ve got a shoot this evening,” he said apologetically. “But today was fun! We should do it again sometime.”

Agreement circled the small group. “Anyway, we’ll see you soon,” Kise continued, “We don’t leave til January anyway, so there’s still almost three months.”

“I’ll see you at practise,” Kagami agreed, nodding to the two of them.

“See you soon, Kurokocchi!” Kise said brightly, leaning over to hug the smaller boy briefly. “Take care, okay?”

“I always do, Kise-kun,” Kuroko replied. “You too.”

Kuroko felt a rough hand briefly ruffle his hair. “See you ‘round, Tetsu.”

“See you soon, Aomine-kun.”

With that, the other two headed out, and Kuroko and Kagami also left in the opposite direction.

“Today was good,” Kuroko offered, following Nigou’s guidance as Kagami’s hand only loosely wrapped around his.

“Mm,” Kagami agreed, shifting his bag a little better on his shoulder. “It was a good idea.”

“It was very kind of you to offer to give them a place to stay,” Kuroko murmured, squeezing Kagami’s fingers.

“Well, you know,” Kagami shrugged, taking Kuroko’s hand properly into his, twining their fingers together. “L.A.s expensive and this’d be easier for them, so…”

“It’s still very good of you,” Kuroko repeated softly. “You’re a good person, Kagami-kun.”

Kagami flushed a little. “You’re embarrassing,” he mumbled, but Kuroko could hear the pleased undertone loud and clear and had to hide his smile.

\--------

They headed back to Kuroko’s apartment for once, Kagami picking up dessert along the way, as Kuroko still had meals from the chef to eat this week that they’d agreed to have tonight. As he put the cakes away in the kitchen Kuroko sat on the sofa, exhaustion catching up with him again. Leaning to one side, he heard the soft movements in the kitchen but it wasn’t enough to keep him awake, falling asleep almost as soon as his head hit one of the cushions.

Kagami walked into the living room five minutes later to find Kuroko dead asleep, clearly exhausted. With a small smile, he walked over and carefully lifted the other boy up, trying his best not to wake him, and carried him through to the bedroom. Lying him down on the bed, Kagami covered him with a blanket, before retreating back into the lounge.

Nigou was in his basket, tail wagging when Kagami flopped down onto the sofa. The redhead had long since got used to the guide dog and patted the sofa next to him, a little pleased when Nigou came over and curled up next to him so Kagami could pet him easily.

Kagami switched on the TV, not really focusing on it but mostly just using it as background noise. Closing his eyes, he remembered he’d promised to text Kise his L.A. address. Doing so, he also made a note to email his dad at some point soon, having not spoken to him in a couple of weeks now.

Yawning, Kagami relaxed on the sofa, willing to just wait until Kuroko woke up, or until it was dinner time and he’d wake him up anyway, always needing to make sure Kuroko was eating properly. Looking around the apartment absentmindedly, Kagami realised that it was really quite empty, and while he understood why, since Kuroko wouldn’t be able to see things anyway, he thought it was kind of a shame. Closing his eyes, he wondered what Kuroko would think of them living together.

His eyes opened again almost instantly, liking the thought more than he probably should. But to be able to wake up every day next to Kuroko, to care for the other boy as much as he wanted, to be together more often than they were now… it was a thought Kagami immensely liked.

Was it too soon though? They had only been dating for five months or so now. Kagami wasn’t sure, but he’d hold onto the idea and think it over properly before proposing it to his lover. He could only hope that when the time came Kuroko would agree.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ohmy gosh it's been some time...  
> orz  
> I am so so so so so so sorry this took so long - life has been hectic and doesn't look like it's setting down any time soon either :/  
> BUT I promise I won't leave it a month again before an update <3
> 
> also OMG OVER 200 SUBSCRIBERS?!?!?!?!!? Thank you, every single one of you, especially those who comment/give kudos, or who even just lurk because you like this fic - all of you make me happier than Kuroko when Kagami's being particularly gay and adorable ;)
> 
> hopefully see you all much sooner - I'm hoping to get back to fortnightly updates at least, (if not weekly) but uni is a scary thing coming up soon (final year omg what?) as are job applications (plz someone hire me) and godknows what else >


	21. Chapter 21

Kuroko woke feeling groggy and a little confused. Where was he? Rolling over, this was definitely his bed, from the smell of the washing powder and feel of the pillows, but how had he got here? He’d fallen asleep on the sofa… Kagami must have carried him here, he realised, sitting up and running a hand through his hair.

He froze as a sharp yell came from the lounge. Kagami-kun.

Kuroko almost tripped over as he ran through the doorway, heart pounding in his throat for his lover.

“Kagami-kun?” Kuroko felt out for the sofa, fingers brushing the material and letting himself fall forwards, hands reaching out further for his lover, praying this was where he actually was, not sure where else he could be.

“Kagami-kun!” Kuroko repeated when there was no reply, fingers finally touching Kagami’s lap in relief, running up his torso to his face and finding it clammy. Kuroko moved closer, coming to sit across his boyfriend’s lap, praying he could do _something_.

\--------

Kagami woke with a jolt, heart in his throat and mouth dry and a heavy weight on his lap.

“Kagami-kun!” Kuroko’s voice was worried in his ear and his eyes opened to see concerned, empty blue, teeth worrying at his lover’s lower lip.

“I’m okay,” he rasped, but it was belied by the way he was wrapping his arms around Kuroko and pulling him close. Pressing his face into Kuroko’s neck, Kagami took a deep breath and closed his eyes, pushing past the lingering flash of fire.

“Talk to me?” Kuroko whispered, fingers coming to soft hair and running his fingers through it, trying to provide comfort.

“Just a nightmare,” Kagami promised, fingers sliding up Kuroko’s waist, wanting skin on skin. “Of the fire again.”

Kuroko pressed a soft kiss to the top of Kagami’s head, suddenly unsure of what to say but wanted to provide comfort and feeling quite useless. His fingers tightened, pissed off with himself.

“It’s okay, Kuroko,” Kagami promised quietly, feeling the tension enter the body on his lap. “Don’t worry about it.”

“I don’t want you to be hurt,” Kuroko returned stubbornly. “I want to help.”

Kagami smiled, feeling the tension start to melt away. “You’re helping just by being here,” he murmured. “Kuroko…”

Kuroko frowned lightly, but kept his fingers running through Kagami’s hair in hopeful comfort. He shifted a little on his lap, making himself a little more comfortable as he kept Kagami’s head tucked under his chin.

“Please don’t shut me out,” Kuroko found the words spilling from his lips without conscious release. He wanted, _needed_ to do _something_ to help his lover that had done so much for him. “Please.”

Kagami shut his eyes and felt his stomach tighten. He sighed softly, hands sliding up Kuroko’s back and pulling him closer.

“Sorry,” he murmured lowly. “It’s not that I want to shut you out, I promise. I just… it’s long over. I’m fine, Kiyoshi is fine. I don’t normally have nightmares anymore, I thought they were gone for good.  I want to forget about it, really.”

Kuroko sighed softly, “Sorry,” he murmured.

“No,” Kagami pulled back and Kuroko felt hot hands cup his face, one thumb stroking along his cheekbone. “Stop putting yourself down like that,” he murmured, “You’re not a burden to me, Kuroko. You never have been, never will be. I don’t want to push all my problems on to you when I’m the one being stupid. I just have to get over this, I know that.”

Kuroko sighed softly. “I should say the same to you,” he returned softly. “I _want_ to share things with you, good or bad. You help me so much with everything, and I know you don’t mind it,” Kuroko hastily added as he felt Kagami instinctively jolt and go to reply, “but I still want to do things for you too. Please don’t leave me feeling useless,” he added quietly, and almost instantly wanted to take the words back. But he couldn’t, and it was the truth, and Kagami’s soft sigh against his cheek was followed by the body underneath his relaxing completely in defeat.

“Sorry,” Kagami sighed softly. “I never meant to do that.”

“I know,” Kuroko agreed. “You never do, though, so don’t let it bother you.”

Kagami sighed again, pulling Kuroko closer, brushing a kiss along his cheek. “I still just want you to be happy,” he confessed, lips brushing his jaw.

Kuroko closed his eyes. “You make me happy,” he forced himself to admit. He felt Kagami still, the lips against his jaw twitch up into a smile.

“You make me happy too,” Kagami returned, picking up one of Kuroko’s hands and placing it on his chest. Kuroko could faintly feel the slow beat of Kagami’s heart under his palm as he gently pressed, leaning a little on his lover.

A soft sigh caressed his jaw as Kagami held him close, breathing slow and comforting in his ear. The hand that wasn’t on Kagami’s chest went to brush through his hair, trusting his partner that he was okay, that Kagami would tell him if he could do anything.

“Hungry?” Kagami asked after another ten minutes of peaceful silence between the two of them, lips brushing across Kuroko’s jaw.

“I could eat,” Kuroko replied after a moment of consideration. “What do you want?”

“Whatever you’ve got,” Kagami replied, letting Kuroko get up and off of him. “You know what I like.”

Kuroko nodded, running through the contents of his fridge in his head and picking out the two containers for their dinner.

\--------

They ate with the TV on, a companionable silence between them. Kuroko’s leg was hooked over Kagami’s as they remained on the sofa, Kagami’s hand landing on his knee when they’d finished eating and providing comfort.

“Are you happy, here?” Kagami asked unexpectedly.

Kuroko’s ears twitched. “What do you mean? With you?”

“Well, that too,” Kagami added, sounding a little flustered.

“I’m happy with you,” Kuroko reassured him before he could say anything.

Kagami’s fingers squeezed his knee gently and Kuroko knew that to be a symbol of relief, of joy.

“Good. I meant, though, are you happy here, in this apartment?”

“Oh,” Kuroko blinked, a little confused still but thinking about it. “I mean, I don’t have any problems with living here. I know where everything is, I don’t need to worry about anything at all. I know my way around outside and all that, so… It’ll be the same wherever I live, and here is better than most.”

Kagami hummed lowly, “I see. Never mind then.”

“Why? Did you want to say something? Is there something wrong?” Kuroko felt his brows knit into a light frown.

“No!” Kagami shook his head lightly, fingers brushing through Kuroko’s hair. “Nothing wrong. I was just thinking… well, you know, if you ever wanted to move closer to uni, or just move, then, well, I’ve got a spare room in my apartment. Or, you know, you could just stay in my room, with me, if you wanted to live together…”

Kuroko was floored. “I, um…”

“Ah,” Kagami noticed Kuroko’s hesitation, “I don’t mean to pressure you or anything. I wasn’t going to ask today, either, it sort of slipped out, sorry. I was just thinking it’d be nice, waking up with you every day. But honestly, it’s probably a bit too fast, isn’t it? Sorr-.”

Kuroko’s hand squeezing his cut him off. “I’d like that, Kagami-kun,” Kuroko promised, “Just… not yet. I… my lease isn’t up for another few months and it would take a lot of time to get everything ready. So… let me think about it? I’ll try to give you an answer as soon as possible, I promise.”

Kagami sighed softly, lifting Kuroko’s fingers to his lips. “Thanks,” he murmured gently. “As long as you’re happy. It was just an idea.”

Kuroko smiled gently. “A good idea,” he assured him gently. “I just… I want to think it over properly before I rush into anything.”

“I get that,” Kagami agreed softly. “Take all the time you need.”

“Thanks,” Kuroko replied, amazed at the lack of pressure he felt. Kagami was just so _good_ , so honest, Kuroko knew that Kagami meant it, that even if he took a year to decide, he would still wait patiently for him. And as much as it made him feel guilty, he was also happier than he could say, to know he had someone who was so willing to take their relationship at his slower pace, to wait for him without getting annoyed or upset. To take him as he was, to let him be who he was.

Leaning against Kagami’s side Kuroko hummed in happiness, intensifying as Kagami’s arm wrapped around his shoulders and pulled him close. His hand was warm against his shoulder, safe and comforting and Kuroko felt his eyes shut, willing to stay like this forever.

Nigou joined them soon after, making Kuroko smile as the dog curled up on Kagami’s lap rather than his own, the two of them having quickly become friends once Kagami had gotten over his fear. Nowadays Kagami even took the dog for walks when Kuroko was feeling lazy or when he didn’t really want to leave the apartment. The radio was on, blanketing them in soft background noise, and Kuroko was, at his core, content.

He wasn’t sure exactly when he had fallen, but he knew that what he felt for Kagami was long past the boundaries of friendship, or boyfriends or lovers. He wanted the redhead forever, knew that without him he would no longer be the same. And while the thought was terrifying, of how reliant, how emotionally dependant the blind boy had become on his partner, it was, Kuroko knew, something beautiful.

Kagami gave him everything he needed. When Kuroko ever felt insecure and lost, he was there to hold on, to pick up the pieces and help him put himself back together. He’d given him space even before Kuroko had asked for it, to allow Kuroko the ability to do what he wanted, what he needed to do alone, without assistance. And he’d slid his way in even when Kuroko didn’t need help, but maybe when he’d wanted it, without even knowing it himself, and helped Kuroko with whatever he’d needed. It was amazing, Kagami’s ability to provide everything Kuroko was searching for without the blind boy even realising half of the time, without making him feel lesser or stupid.

Even though Kuroko still felt a little guilty for everything he, even if indirectly or unconsciously, asked Kagami to do for him, he was amazed at how relaxed he felt around the other boy, that he was willing to let Kagami do things for him, whereas with almost everyone else he tried to take all of the burdens upon himself. But Kagami wouldn’t let him, and Kuroko had grown used to sharing some of his burdens, to let Kagami help him, to lower his boundaries and let the taller male in. And he didn’t feel as bad for it as usual, Kagami _never_ made him feel like a burden or a nuisance, and Kuroko could never express how grateful he was for that.

Kuroko wasn’t sure how he’d ever thank the other male for everything that he’d done, for everything that he was continuing to do. For the happiness he’d brought to the blind boy. Everyone else had seen it, had commented on it, albeit slyly and indirectly. He knew his friends were happy for him, for his happiness. He wasn’t sure how to thank them either, for their support and love. He’d never really appreciated it as much as he did now, with them being there for him despite him being happy and relatively self-confident.

He knew that they could have left him before, when he’d been such a burden on them, when he’d caused them so much grief and pain. And for them to have stuck with him through it all had been a feat in itself, when they’d been going through so many things themselves. And Kuroko had half expected them to quit. If not then, when he’d been injured and hurting, when most would expect them to help, in part for the sake of their own conscience, but when he was back on his feet and no longer needed them as dearly, when they could break away and do what they wanted without him holding them back.

But none of them had, they had all stayed, and new friends, like Kagami, had appeared and helped. If anything, his life now was richer than before, than when he’d had his sight. The friends he had had stuck by him, and he knew that they would never leave him. That was something he wouldn’t give up for anything, even his sight back.

Kagami continued to hold Kuroko as he thought, as he relaxed, safe in the arms of his lover, reflecting on his newfound friendships and subsequent happiness. He was going to hold onto this with everything he had, he decided definitively, brain slowly turning fuzzy with exhaustion and the need for sleep. Kagami held him through it all, and always would, and Kuroko couldn’t ask for more, were his final thoughts before he sank back into sleep, warm and comforted with his lover by his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> orz - again I am later than I planned to be (I'm so sorry)
> 
> but thank you all for the lovely comments/kudos/for subscribing to this fic - I am sorry about the sporadic updates - I am doing my absolute best to focus on this fic as much as possible outside uni (I am going to die this year why is Japanese so hard?) and post a chapter at least fortnightly <3 you are all so amazing, thank you for putting up with me <3


	22. Chapter 22

The weekend came, and with it an invite for Kuroko to come to a fundraising event at the fire-station where Kagami volunteered. The station was having an open house, where they invited the local community to come and see what their local firemen actually did, with activities involving the visitors and others to raise money for the firehouse.

“You don’t have to,” Kagami assured him, drawing patterns on Kuroko’s lower back with his fingertips as they lounged in bed the morning of the event. “But they’ve been bugging me to meet you, and some of the events they even designed to be blind-friendly.”

Kuroko smiled. “They didn’t need to do that,” he murmured against Kagami’s shoulder.

“I know,” Kagami shrugged lightly. “But they figured it’d be an incentive for you. They really want to meet you.”

“Why?”

Kagami shrugged against him, shifting him slightly. “Dunno. I might have slipped in a few things about you,” he teased lightly, “And I guess they wanna see who’s got me saying sappier stuff than usual.”

Kuroko suppressed his ridiculously pleased smile. “Really?”

“Mm,” Kagami agreed, and groaned as the alarm went off, their signal to get up. “You don’t have to come if you don’t want to,” Kagami repeated as Kuroko sat up with him, fingers brushing through the bedhead that Kagami was endlessly puzzled by. Kuroko barely moved in his sleep, so just _how_ did his hair become such a mess? “There’ll be another one in six months if you change your mind.”

The words gave Kuroko a pleased little jolt. Kagami had said it so naturally, without thinking about it, that they’d be together in six months. Kagami really was thinking of them long-term.

“I’d like to come,” Kuroko murmured softly, feeling for the edge of the bed and carefully swinging his legs over it to stand. “Though… won’t I be out of place?”

“Nah,” Kagami shook his head, “There’s all sorts. Though I have to help out with a couple of the competitions…” he trailed off, thinking, “We could always invite Kise and Aomine?” he offered, “I’m sure they’d snap up any possible chance to see me maybe being humiliated in public.”

Kuroko blinked, “What exactly goes on during these events, Kagami-kun?” he asked, a little bewildered.

Kagami chuckled lowly. “Nothing too bad, I promise. It’s mostly just a chance for the firemen not on duty to show off their skills. So there are things like who can put out a fire quickest, who can ‘rescue’ a civilian fastest, who’s the fastest at climbing a ladder,” he explained, pressing Kuroko’s clothes into his hands as usual before stepping back to let him change on his own.

He opened the bedroom door once he was done and Kuroko felt Nigou’s fur brush against his calf as the guide dog came in to check he was okay. Crouching down to pet him lightly, he received a few happy licks to the face and laughed.

“Anyway, I’ve got like forty minutes or so before I’ve gotta be there. It’ll take fifteen to walk it, so I’ll go put on breakfast now. Sorry about the rush.”

Kuroko shook his head as he stood again and followed Kagami’s footsteps out of the room. “It’s fine,” he promised honestly. “I’ll call Kise-kun whilst you’re cooking, shall I?”

“Thanks,” lips brushed Kuroko’s in a gesture that he had finally become used to, and Kuroko felt around for his phone that he’d left on the coffee table last night as Kagami split off towards the kitchen to make breakfast.

\--------

Forty minutes later they arrived at the fire station, Kuroko’s left hand wrapped around Kagami’s forearm, the other holding Nigou’s lead as the hum of conversation surrounded them. Kise and Aomine wouldn’t be there for another hour, so Kagami took his time showing Kuroko around the courtyard, describing everything to him as simply as possible so he wouldn’t be too confused if they got separated.

They paused near the entrance to the station, Kuroko’s hand sliding down Kagami’s forearm to link their fingers. Kagami squeezed lightly and Kuroko felt the tiny bit of insecurity leave him at being surrounded by so many strangers.

“So this is Kuroko-kun,” a low, authoritative voice sounded to their left.

“Captain,” Kagami returned and Kuroko could hear the warmth in his voice towards the stranger. “Kuroko, this is Hyuga, the Captain of this station.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Kuroko bowed shallowly, fingers still entwined in Kagami’s.

“And you,” the low voice returned. “Kagami, you’re due at the ladder climbing competition.”

“Ah, sorry Captain.”

“I’ll keep Kuroko company whilst you’re busy, if you don’t mind, Kuroko,” the voice continued. Kuroko blinked, a little surprised.

“Not at all,” he denied, “I’d like that, thank you.”

“I’ll be back in half an hour or so,” Kagami murmured, leaning in to brush the briefest kiss across Kuroko’s lips and squeezing his hand lightly before his warmth disappeared from Kuroko’s side, leaving him bereft for a brief second. “Have fun.”

“Good luck with your competition,” Kuroko returned, but Kagami didn’t reply, presumably already hurrying away.

“Cute dog,” Hyuga’s voice came from lower down, closer to the floor, and Kuroko heard Nigou yap happily as he assumed the Captain was gently patting his dog.

“Thank you,” Kuroko murmured on behalf of his puppy, unsure what else to say.

“So Kagami showed you around?”

“Some of it,” Kuroko nodded, “The courtyard mostly.”

Hyuga hummed. “I’ll show you round the fire house then,” he offered, and Kuroko felt callused fingers wrap around his palm and gently bring his hand to a strong forearm. “If you’d like that?”

Kuroko nodded, thanking him quietly and feeling Nigou’s fur brush his leg as they started to walk. Hyuga was more professional than he’d expected, not asking him any personal questions or things about Kagami, but showing Kuroko around as if he was a member of the public. It relieved him and left him unsatisfied all in one, semi-wanting the chance to be able to ask someone about this side of Kagami’s life that in truth he knew little about.

Of course, his lover had told him all about his friends at the station, their quirks and their interactions, and Kuroko had been able to tell from the sheer fondness in Kagami’s low, husky voice the affection he held for the firemen. It had relieved Kuroko, that Kagami was clearly so happy in both basketball and at the fire-station, which hopefully indicated that no matter which direction the redhead went in he’d be happy with his choice.

As they walked around, Hyuga explained several things to Kuroko about the station and Kuroko counted the steps around in his head just in case he’d somehow end up alone. Hyuga was greeted several times in passing, a few sticking around to talk but never for very long, and without much more than hesitant greetings for Kuroko.

As they looped around the main garage, the sounds of children cheering and laughing as small little races were put on for them, Hyuga stopped by the garage doors, Kuroko suddenly able to feel the heat of the sun and a light breeze on his face, and waited for something.

“So this is Kagami’s boyfriend,” a strange voice joined them.

“Ah, Kuroko-kun, hello,” Kuroko blinked as a familiar voice followed the strangers.

“Dr. Tanaka,” Kuroko felt his hand being taken in a familiar one and squeezed lightly in greeting. “I didn’t expect to meet you here.”

“I could say the same,” his therapist agreed. “How do you know Captain Hyuga?”

“Ah, I was only introduced today,” Kuroko admitted. “Kagami-kun volunteers here.”

“I see,” the doctor’s voice turned knowing. “You know, if you want to bring Kagami-kun next Friday, you’re more than welcome to. But anyway, I won’t keep you. Enjoy your afternoon.”

“And you,” Kuroko returned, turning the words over in his head. He heard the therapist bid the others goodbye.

“Ah, this is Kiyoshi,” Hyuga introduced the stranger, “Kiyoshi, this is Kuroko.”

“Nice to meet you,” the new stranger’s friendly voice offered.

“And you,” Kuroko returned.

“I need to go and run a few checks,” Hyuga murmured. “Kiyoshi, mind showing Kuroko around the last few bits?”

“Of course not,” the easy-going voice returned, and Kuroko felt his hand being gently transferred from one arm to another. Kiyoshi was a little taller, his forearm a little higher – higher than Kagami’s, Kuroko thought – and he felt a little short, even without being able to see their exact height difference.

“So you’ve been taken around most of the station?” Kiyoshi asked, voice warm and cheerful.

Kuroko nodded, “I think everywhere,” he replied.

“Would you like a drink? There’s a bench nearby that’s free.”

“That would be wonderful,” Kuroko agreed, a little exhausted from all the new information being thrown at him as his brain worked to process it all. He was led to the bench and assured Kiyoshi would be back a minute later as the stranger went to fetch a couple of drinks for them.

Kuroko petted Nigou lightly, wondering how long it had been since Kagami had left and when he’d be back. He could still hear the children cheering nearby and smiled at the sound, so full of joy and life.

Kiyoshi was back barely a minute later, pressing a cold bottle into Kuroko’s hand.

“So Kagami brought you then?” he asked and Kuroko felt the quiet movement of air as Kiyoshi sat on his right.

“Yes. He said that you all wanted to meet me,” Kuroko admitted, holding back his blush.

Kiyoshi chuckled warmly. “That’s true. He’s been much happier since he’s been with you,” he added teasingly, “We wanted to check things were all good. And he’s a good person,” Kiyoshi offered, “Saved my life.”

“Really?” Kuroko’s ears perked up, a little shocked at the sudden change in conversation.

“Yeah. I got trapped in a fire at an elementary school about 6 months ago, and Kagami got me out. He broke a few rules doing it and got himself in trouble, but he saved my life, and I owe him for that.”

“He never told me it was that bad,” Kuroko murmured, wrapping his own fingers around his wrists for comfort. “I knew he’d helped you, but he never said he’d gotten in trouble for it.”

Kiyoshi chuckled lowly. “There wasn’t a lot I could do about it. He’s only a volunteer, he technically shouldn’t even have been at the scene, Hyuga got in a bit of trouble for that too. Don’t tell Kagami that, though!” he added quickly, waiting for Kuroko’s nod before continuing. “But we trust him. He’s got a good head on his shoulders, even if his emotions do run away with him sometimes. He’ll make a good fireman, if he chooses this path.”

Kuroko hummed, feeling relieved that Kagami had such good colleagues, people who so obviously cared about him, his wellbeing. That would support him in his future choices. Even as he thought that, a niggling thought started up at the back of his head. But before he could figure out exactly what it was his brain wanted to say, a bright, familiar voice sounded in the area nearby.

“Kurokocchi! Sorry we’re late,” Kise ran up, breathing heavy as if he’d been running.

“It’s fine, Kise-kun,” Kuroko stood, feeling Kise’s fingers brush his shoulder.

“Friends?” Kiyoshi’s voice sounded from behind him, from higher up, indicated the other male had also stood.

“Yes,” Kuroko turned a little back towards the voice. “Kiyoshi-san, this is Kise-kun. Kise-kun, this is Kiyoshi-san, who works with Kagami-kun.”

“Nice to meet you,” Kiyoshi’s voice was still warm.

“You too!” Kise replied lightly, “This is Aomine Daiki,” he introduced.

“Yo,” Aomine greeted gruffly. A large hand tapped Kuroko’s shoulder in greeting and the smaller boy offered a smile out to the room.

“This is so amazing!” Kise gushed brightly, “All the people and everything! So you work here, Kiyoshi-san?”

“I do,” Kuroko heard Kiyoshi confirm and they continued to talk as Aomine’s hand came to rest back on his shoulder as Kuroko felt the heat of the taller male radiate closer to him.

“You alright?” the basketball ace asked lowly.

Kuroko nodded. “Just a little overwhelmed,” he admitted quietly, knowing it was useless to lie to Aomine, and that Kise would also be listening in, as much as the blond would deny it. “There’s a lot to take in.”

Aomine hummed lowly, strong fingers squeezing his shoulder lightly in reassurance. “Want to rest?”

Kuroko shook his head. “I’ve been sitting for a while,” he replied honestly. “I’m fine.”

He hummed again, accepting his words, and squeezed his shoulder lightly once more.

They spent the next ten minutes talking amongst themselves, until Kiyoshi welcomed Kagami back into their group.

“So you finally got here?” Kagami teased lightly in greeting, one arm draping over Kuroko’s shoulder a little possessively. Kuroko leant into the touch, something tight in him he hadn’t really been aware of loosening again with the presence of Kagami back at his side.

“Hey, Kagamicchi!” Kise greeted brightly, “Sorry we’re a bit late, Aominecchi took _forever_ to wake up.” Aomine’s noise of protest was ignored by the rest of them, knowing Kise’s words to be true. “And look at you, all sexy in your fireman’s uniform!” Kise added with a laugh. “You going to do a calendar later?”

“Fuck off,” Kagami replied, without any heat in the words, taking the teasing good-naturedly.

Kuroko felt his stomach drop. He hadn’t even known that Kagami _had_ a fireman’s uniform, let alone that he was wearing it. And he wanted to see the sight for himself, sure Kagami would be gorgeous in it. He pushed the thought away with effort, aware it was impossible and swallowing that truth with regret.

“Excuse me, Mister?” a child’s voice approached them, something tugging at Kuroko’s trousers.

“Yes?” Kuroko answered when no-one else did, assuming the child was talking to him.

“Can we pet your dog?”

“Sure,” Kuroko allowed after a moment, aware Nigou always liked a bit of extra fuss.

The children – Kuroko wasn’t sure how many – thanked him cheerfully and the lead moved slightly as Nigou moved towards them.

A few more minutes passed as Kagami, Kuroko, Aomine and Kise moved back into conversation – Kiyoshi having had to leave to help Hyuga with something. But Kuroko couldn’t really focus, his stomach feeling weird, a headache starting to form behind his eyes. He was just tired, he told himself, but wasn’t sure he fully believed it as something niggled in the back of his head.

But he was pulled out of those thoughts a minute later as a yelp sounded and a low whine followed.

“Nigou?!” Kuroko frowned, crouching down immediately and reaching out. Barely a second later his dog was in his arms, shaking and whimpering softly.

“ _What are you doing_?!” Kuroko barely heard Aomine’s angry voice above him as he carefully stroked through soft fur, looking for injuries. He found none, thankfully, and Nigou slowly stopped shaking, but still pressed his face into his master’s hand for comfort.

He heard the children respond woefully but again, barely registered it, as Kagami crouched next to him and gently placed a hand on his knee.

“I’m sorry,” the low voice murmured, ringing low with regret, “It looks like they got a bit rough with Nigou without meaning to. Pulling his tail and that,” distaste slipped into his tone and Kuroko let himself squeeze Nigou lightly, relieved it wasn’t anything worse.

Kuroko nodded, pressing his face into Nigou’s neck. “Can we go home soon, please?” he asked quietly.

Kagami hesitated and Kuroko felt his stomach tighten. He just really, really wanted to go home and hide.

“Of course,” Kagami murmured, the hand on his knee squeezing lightly. “I’m done for today. We’ll go back now.”

“I’m sorry,” Kuroko mumbled.

“Not at all,” Kagami assured him. “Don’t worry about it.”

They made their goodbyes quickly and Kuroko held onto Kagami’s hand more tightly than usual as they left the station, left the noise and bustle and crowd behind as they walked through the less busy streets back to Kagami’s apartment. Kuroko was silent, stomach churning, holding everything in, just wanting to curl up under the covers with Nigou and forget that the past hour or so had happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again I'm later than I'd intended orz  
> I'm so so sorry... and idk when I'll be able to post again - essays/job applications are taking up all the time I don't have anyway aha.... but I'm not giving up, and I promise I'll have the next chapter by Christmas (though I'm sorry that's so far away...)   
> thank you all for sticking with this fic <3 over 10,000 hits!! - that was my end goal for this fic and to know I've hit it before I've even finished writing it makes me v. happy <3 <3 <3 you're all fabulous even as I'm constantly sucking at uploading things orz


	23. Chapter 23

Kuroko made sure Nigou was okay once more when they reached home, but as he received a few happy licks across his face he was reassured. Kagami said nothing and Kuroko could hear him move into the kitchen, opening cupboards. It was past lunchtime, but Kuroko wasn’t hungry, stomach cold with something else he didn’t fully understand just yet.

Without saying a word, he headed to the bedroom, shutting the door behind him, stomach still churning, heart still aching, frustration ricocheting through him.

Stepping forwards shakily, his knees hit the edge of the bed and he flopped forwards, grabbing the covers and pulling them around him, taking some comfort in the smell of Kagami and washing powder in the softness surrounding him before he could stop himself and letting his thoughts stop.

He wasn’t sure exactly how long he stayed there, like that, spacing out, not even thinking but letting himself drift. He was broken from his fugue by a gentle knock on the door.

“Kuroko?” Kagami’s voice was hesitant as the door opened with a quiet _click_. Kuroko didn’t answer, pressing his face into the pillows.

There was only the sound of rustling cloth and very light footsteps and Kuroko felt the bed dip as weight settled onto it behind him thirty seconds later. A few seconds later a soft rush of cooler air slid over his torso before the covers settled around him again, but this time with the heat of Kagami radiating against his back. A strong arm wound around his waist and Kuroko squeezed his fists tightly for a long moment before letting go and reaching for the arm, one arm wrapping over the top of it as the other hand went to lace with Kagami’s fingers.

“Want to talk about it?” Kagami asked after a few minutes of silence, lips gently brushing the back of his neck.

Kuroko said nothing, found he couldn’t, not yet, and Kagami didn’t press it, just wiggled a little closer, held him a little tighter. The bed dipped again and Kuroko realised Nigou had followed Kagami in as fur brushed against his feet, sticking out from the duvet a little.

Kuroko exhaled slowly, tension gradually leaking out of him. And Kagami still didn’t press, just silently continued to hold him, a steady, reassuring presence keeping him safe.

And slowly, with the heat of Kagami keeping him grounded, his thoughts coalesced into one, and he finally understood the reasons for his unease for most of the day.

He sighed lowly and a gentle kiss was pressed to his nape, but Kagami still said nothing, not pressuring him to do or say anything.

And that, if anything, was what made Kuroko want to talk, to see if Kagami would be as understanding with this as he would be with everything else. If he could burden his boyfriend with this, too.

As Kuroko wriggled around under the covers, Kagami’s arms loosened around his waist but continued to hold him as he turned so he would be facing him, wishing he could meet his lover’s eyes, sadness coming up to flood him. Yet it wasn’t as strong as usual, something a little comforted by Kagami’s presence next to him.

“I hate it,” he admitted on a burst of _need_ to share that had his throat tight and voice raw, that had the gates bursting open and him unable to shut them again no matter how hard he pushed, “The dark. There’s so much I’m missing out on, so much I can’t _do_. And usually it’s okay,” he continued, pressing his face into Kagami’s shoulder as strong arms wound tighter around him, pulled him into his chest, surrounding him with heat, wondering how long he’d be able to stay like this for, wishing he could lie in the safety of Kagami’s arms for an eternity. “But things like today, like _Nigou_ ,” he sighed, stomach churning, and was relieved when his dog came up the bed and snuggled under the covers between them, nose nudging at the palm of his hand for petting, “I couldn’t do anything, I didn’t even know anything was _happening_. What kind of owner am I, who would just let their dog be hurt? Even as I know it wasn’t my fault, that it couldn’t really be helped, that there was nothing I could do if I couldn’t see it happening. But I hate that that has to be a fact of my life. People could kick Nigou in front of me and I wouldn’t know it,” Kuroko admitted, throat closing at the image as he took a deep breath to hold back tears. “There are just so many things I don’t get, I can’t understand, all because I _can’t see them_.”

Kagami sighed gently, lips warm against Kuroko’s temple, just _listening_.

“I don’t even know what you look like,” Kuroko continued, frustrations pouring out of him, now the cork in the bottle had been pulled out, “I can’t really remember Kise-kun’s or Aomine-kun’s or even my family’s faces anymore. I don’t know what _I_ look like anymore. And sure, okay, that might not be such a big thing,” he admitted lowly, “but I miss being able to see people’s expressions, to be able to tell when they’re happy, sad, lonely, all from a glance at their face. And I can’t do that anymore. It is so, so easy for me to not understand a situation, all because I can’t see the visual clues. It would be so easy to hide things from me. And while I know you won’t,” Kuroko added, feeling the tension enter Kagami’s arms on a denial, “It’s still a possibility, even if whoever I’m talking to doesn’t mean to do it.

“And even ignoring that, I don’t know what I’m meant to do after this, what kind of future I’ll have. What can I even _do_?  I can’t use a computer unless it has specialist software, and even then I’m a hundred times slower than someone else who can see. I can’t see to write. I can’t read unless it’s in braille. I can’t go anywhere without help, either from you or other friends or Nigou. If it wasn’t for all of you, I wouldn’t be able to even leave the house.

“And it’s not even that, but even the simplest things like going to the toilet or washing my hands take me twice as long as everyone else. I can’t even _feed_ myself. If it wasn’t for you, or Momoi-san, I wouldn’t be able to cook, or clean, or pay the bills. I wouldn’t know if anything was broken, or if it was dangerous until it was too late, and everyone has to waste so much of their own time to make sure I’m okay. I can barely do anything by myself anymore, and I hate it. I feel so _weak_ , so _useless_. I can’t help anyone, and yet all that anyone ever does is help me.”

Kuroko fell silent on the last word, stomach churning, heart aching, eyes burning as he curled up smaller, pressing into Kagami as if he could hide from everything he’d just uttered, deny the words as the truth, even as it was far too late.

Kagami sighed very, very softly and Kuroko felt his heart freeze. Had he finally burdened his lover too much? Was this it?

“You really don’t see yourself properly,” Kagami scolded lowly, and Kuroko’s brain stopped dead in the midst of the whirl of thoughts spiralling through him. “You are _not_ a burden, Kuroko. At least not to me.”

A low sigh brushed through Kuroko’s hair as long fingers stroked up his back, holding him close, trying to soothe.

“You… I’m not going to deny some of what you just said,” Kagami murmured, and Kuroko’s hands squeezed into fists. He wasn’t sure if he was relieved or not. “But helping you is something all of us _want_ to do. You bring so many people together, just by being you. And so what, you need someone to cook for you? I’m cooking for myself anyway, and I _like_ being able to cook for you. Call me old-fashioned, or silly for thinking it, but I _like_ knowing I’m helping to provide for you, as I should as your partner. I _like_ it when you like what I make for you, and that’s all the thanks I need.

“And yes, okay, there are other things that you need help with,” Kagami murmured, fingers still continuing a long, slow stroke up and down his spine, comforting him as Kuroko shut his eyes and let the words wash over him, soaking them in. “But that does _not_ make you a burden. You are not anything _close_ to useless, or weak. Who else could have been strong enough to lose their sight, yet carry on, make a life for themselves, as independent as is physically possible? Anyone else could be much more reliant on others, yet you barely need us except for that which is obviously impossible.

“You can’t see, and that’s an issue in a world that’s been created taking vision for granted. But that’s not your fault, and never will be. You’ve adapted brilliantly, despite how hard it must have been. And I know I don’t even get the half of it, having never been through what you’ve been through, having not even been there when you went through it. Yet you go to university, you’re getting an education, you play the piano _professionally_ ,” Kagami emphasised, “And I’ve _never_ heard _anyone_ play as well as you,” Kuroko flushed and pressed his face tighter into Kagami’s shoulder. “You move hundreds and thousands of people with your music, and you don’t need anyone to help you do that.

“I’m not very good with words,” Kagami admitted, voice going quiet. “And I don’t know how I’m supposed to persuade you that I don’t see you as weak, and I don’t think of you and have never thought of you as a burden. Even if I have to help you, for one it’s not like we’re keeping score, and two, I _enjoy_ helping you. I _want_ to be of use to you, to know I’m doing something good for someone I lo- care about. And I _know_ it’s hard for you, and I know that I don’t get all of it. But I’m not alone. Aomine, Kise, your family… all of them are there for you, and we don’t need anything in return but you, ideally happy. I don’t like seeing you upset, especially if I can’t do anything to help you,” Kagami sighed lowly, silence following for a long moment, Kuroko left reeling.

“And this might be the wrong time to say it but thank you,” Kagami’s lips brushed the top of his head and Kuroko inhaled a shaky breath as the words settled inside him for proper analysis, as his brain filed away Kagami’s quick hesitation mid-speech for closer looking at later, “For telling me all of this. For sharing your thoughts with me. I’m sorry about today.”

Kuroko shook his head. “It wasn’t your fault,” he whispered, pulling back and feeling Kagami’s lips brushing his forehead gently. “I just…” Kuroko sighed, lost for words, feeling a gentle hand come to cup his cheek, a thumb lightly brush away a couple of the tears he hadn’t felt escape. And the most surprising thing was that, somewhere, part of him was saying he could actually _believe_ Kagami. And something in him lightened with the knowledge, even as other parts of him tried to deny everything that his lover had said, still unsure and uneasy.

“Thank you for listening,” Kuroko whispered, wanting to say _something_ , wishing he could say more, could express how he truly felt in words but unsure he’d ever be able to, “For today.”

“Anything,” Kagami murmured gently. “Anything for you. And you know if there’s _anything_ I can do for you, all you have to do is ask.”

Kuroko tilted his face up and felt his stomach flutter as Kagami read the signal as always and gently pressed his lips over his.

“I know,” Kuroko admitted lowly as he pulled back slowly. “Thank you. And likewise,” he whispered. “I… I’ll do whatever I can.”

Kuroko could feel Kagami’s gentle smile as his lips pressed gently against his forehead and savoured the sensation. He felt a little more settled now. Still not perfect, but then he had to admit he doubted he ever would. He still couldn’t see Kagami, and as much as he knew it didn’t- it _shouldn’t_ matter, he wished he could look into the eyes of his lover just once, to take in the features that he knew so well under his fingertips, yet could never describe in words to others.

“I know,” Kagami murmured quietly, and Kuroko’s stomach settled a little more. “Thank you.”

Kuroko shook his head, pressing closer under the covers, feeling relieved as Kagami pulled him closer.

Kagami pressed a gentle kiss to his head, selfishly pleased that Kuroko could open up to him. He hated the fact that it had taken Kuroko getting hurt and upset for him to talk to him, but was also glad that at the same time Kuroko would talk to him when he was sad and a little vulnerable, that he would trust Kagami so much to let him see him like this.

They lay together for a long while longer, the warmth of Kagami and slow thump of his heartbeat lulling Kuroko into a comfortable sleep knowing he was safe in his lover’s arms. He had broken apart, and Kagami had held him together, had pulled him back and kept him safe. And that, more than anything, was what Kuroko had secretly longed for. And to be given it now, even at one of the lowest points of his potential future, was more than he had ever expected. It was something, he silently vowed to himself, he wouldn’t let go easily. It was with some surprise at his own thoughts that he realised he would fight to keep him. Would do everything in his power to keep Kagami with him. Unless Kagami wanted to go, wanted to leave him. Which would break Kuroko into a thousand pieces, but it would tear him apart even further to know he was hurting this perfect man who had brought light into Kuroko’s life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you all for sticking with this fic so far, I'm still not done - but working on it, I promise. I'm hoping I can get enough written to at least get back to bi-weekly updates over the holidays, but no promises. But thank you all for being so patient, and for all the lovely comments (which I know I've been awful and still not got back to, I'm so sorry), and for subscribing and kudosing and everything else <3  
> <3 Merry Christmas!!! <3


	24. Chapter 24

Kuroko woke the next morning feeling a little groggy, his head a little fuzzy. He could feel Kagami’s arms a hot brand around his waist, holding him against the comforting heat of a muscled chest, and felt some of the tension in his shoulders melt away. Kagami had been… everything Kuroko had wanted, everything he had needed, last night. He had provided the ultimate comfort, said everything that Kuroko had needed to hear. And, to some surprise, Kuroko found that part of him still believed in what his lover had told him. He wasn’t yet one-hundred-percent sure, but when you’d been convinced that you were no longer good enough for well over a year, it would be hard to suddenly believe otherwise. But the fact that Kagami had stuck by him, hadn’t belittled him or made less of his sadness, but had openly and willingly accepted Kuroko’s issues and was offering to _help_ , made Kuroko feel more secure in this relationship than he ever had, and Kuroko marvelled that he could feel any _more_ , that he could feel any better in this relationship.

He decided then and there, comfortable in his sleeping lover’s arms, that he wanted to intertwine their lives more officially. And that took him back to Kagami’s offer of them living together. Kuroko wouldn’t jump into it, would take it slowly, and would have to talk to Kagami about a trial run first anyway. And then he’d need to discuss things with Momoi, to see if it was okay if he did move out early if they went for it.

But before that, Kuroko resolved that he had to let Kagami see this side of him more often. Kagami needed to know more than he did if they were to make things work. Which made Kuroko feel guilty, as Kagami would have to give up so much more of his time, his effort, just for Kuroko. And Kagami had so much else to offer so many other people, Kuroko felt selfish for wanting to demand the basketball player for himself. But part of him whispered that it was okay, that if he didn’t take this chance now he’d never get another one quite like it. And he was going to listen to that voice, to stop holding himself back, to put himself out there. And if it didn’t work, it didn’t work. But at least, this way, Kuroko could say he had tried. He had put himself out there and done what he’d wanted, and he’d have fewer regrets. Or so he hoped, anyway.

So, thinking back on Tanaka-sensei’s words, Kuroko knew he’d have to invite Kagami to a session, to show him that although Kuroko could usually do okay, he still needed help here or there. That he still had issues he was working through – more than those that he’d disclosed last night, anyway. As much as he hated doing this to his lover, he knew it was important, _essential_ , if they were to continue with a working, open partnership.

Sighing, he stretched his arm forwards, finding the edge of the bed and slowly creeping out of the comfort of Kagami’s arms. Nigou’s fur brushed his leg and gently helped guide him to the bathroom, Kuroko more than a little grateful as he still felt unsteady on his feet. Stripping out of yesterday’s clothes, he turned on the shower and waited for it to heat up before stepping into the spray.

Tilting his face up into the oncoming water, he let his mind fall blank. There was nothing he could do about any of it anyway, he reasoned, and everything that Kagami had offered suggested that it didn’t really matter- or at least, his lover didn’t mind it.

And yet again, Kuroko was hit with another wave of gratitude that he’d been lucky enough to find Kagami, to find someone who was so supportive and wanted him even _for_ his flaws, instead of despite them. Who was so openly accepting of everything that Kuroko was, and who was someone that Kuroko was able to accept in every way in return, being more than kind and loving and more than Kuroko had ever thought he’d be able to find in a partner.

Warmth flooding him, he shut off the shower and stepped out of the shower, to hear the bathroom door open.

“Mornin’,” Kagami’s voice rasped lowly, and a towel was placed into his hands as a kiss was lightly brushed across his forehead. “You okay?”

Kuroko melted, heart throbbing with an emotion he couldn’t put into words for the life of him. Nodding, he stepped forwards, hoping Kagami wouldn’t mind that his hair was wet, and wrapped his arms around Kagami’s waist. Kagami didn’t even hesitate before wrapping his arms back around Kuroko’s shoulders, pulling him closer, pressing lips to wet hair.

“Thank you,” Kuroko mumbled, aware he should be saying _more_ but unsure of what else he could say to get across exactly everything that he was feeling, everything he wanted to explain.

Kagami pulled back an inch and Kuroko felt a quick brush of relief that he wasn’t as terrified anymore that Kagami was rejecting him with the movement. It was still a twinge, still a brief second of panic, but not nearly as strong as it had been before last night. Lips brushed his forehead, down his cheeks, across the tip of his nose before gently pressing to his, barely touching before withdrawing, just a soft, comforting pressure.

“Anything,” Kagami murmured and Kuroko closed his eyes, pressing his face into Kagami’s t-shirt and wishing he just had the words to thank the other male for all that he had done, all that he was doing.

“I’ll go put the coffee on,” Kuroko offered as he stepped back, wrapping the towel around his waist.

“’Kay,” Kagami let him go, fingers lingering on his shoulder, stroking down his arm before breaking contact. “I’ll be out in five.”

Kuroko nodded, leaving the bathroom and finding his clothes neatly folded on the chair by the bed as usual. Tugging them on, he’d just finished when he heard the shower turn off.

Moving a little faster, he headed into the kitchen and took the six steps to the side with the coffee pot, reaching out slowly and hitting the glass pot. Feeling around, he found the switch and pressed it, hoping Kagami had remembered to put the coffee beans in last night – though the basketball player would probably have mentioned it before if he hadn’t. The familiar grinding noise started up and Kuroko felt a quick wave of relief, before reaching upwards and finding the mugs that hung down from the bottom of the cupboard, finding his and Kagami’s from the weight and shape of them in his hands and placing them carefully on the side.

“Thanks, Kuroko,” Kagami murmured as the kitchen door opened and the taller boy walked in. “What d’you want for breakfast?”

“Just cereal’s fine,” Kuroko replied. “I’m not that hungry.”

“’Kay,” Kagami’s arms wound around him before Kuroko could take a step forwards to the cupboard with the cereal in.

“Kagami-kun?” Kuroko asked, confused as his lover didn’t let go, his face pressing against his neck, soft breaths across the sensitive skin.

“You still look sad,” Kagami murmured, “I don’t know what to do.”

Kuroko felt his heart plummet – whether in love or fear, he wasn’t sure. “I…,” he fell silent, not sure what to say.

“You make me happy,” Kuroko whispered after a long minute of trying to figure out what he wanted to say, “You really do. I just… it’s hard to forget things that you’ve been so convinced of, so used to for over a year.”

“Things I don’t know about,” Kagami sighed, standing up a little and resting his chin on Kuroko’s head.

“Well… I mean,” Kuroko hesitated, unsure how to word it but jumping on the opportunity before he could change his mind, “If you wanted, you could come to a… come to my therapist with me? You don’t have to, but I’ve got an appointment this Friday, and it might… it might help, maybe? Somehow? I don’t really know,” he admitted helplessly.

“Do you want me to come?” Kagami sounded… surprised, but not rejecting of the offer.

“I… It might be good? I just… I don’t want to take up more of your time or anything. I don’t want you to feel obliged to come.”

“I’d like to come,” Kagami offered honestly, one hand stroking down Kuroko’s spine, soothing. “But I don’t want to make things any more awkward for you. If you want me there, if this is something you want, I’ll do it. If it’s not, I won’t.”

Kuroko smiled a little, unable to help it. “I’d like you to come. If you’re free.”

Kagami’s fingers entwined around his, lifting them to his lips and pressing a gentle kiss to his knuckles. “Just let me know what time it is, and I’ll make sure I’m free.”

Kuroko felt his face flame as usual, but brought their hands back to his mouth and pressed a light kiss to his lover’s knuckles in return.

“Also,” Kuroko added, his other hand coming up to clasp Kagami’s and holding on. “About what you said a week or so ago, about us… moving in together?”

He could feel the tension enter Kagami’s fingers and wondered if it was good or bad.

“Yeah?”

“I… I’d like to try it? Moving in here, I mean. If that’s still okay?”

Lips sealing over his, a wide smile on them, assured Kuroko that it was definitely okay. Smiling back, he let go of Kagami’s hands as he opened his mouth, let Kagami take control.

“Whatever you want,” Kagami promised lowly, and Kuroko felt a quiet thrill go through him.

“Thank you,” he murmured quietly, and was given a slow, gentle kiss in return. At that precise second, a loud growling sound echoed throughout the room and Kuroko felt Kagami freeze.

A laugh bubbled up in his throat before he could stop it, a helpless little smile rising to his lips.

“Sorry,” Kagami sounded chagrined, but Kuroko just smiled back, the atmosphere in the room suddenly light and airy as happiness floated through him. He hadn’t been rejected in anything, these past twenty-four hours, and his heart hurt with the sheer joy of it all.

They ate in companionable silence, knees brushing, Kagami getting up for seconds while Kuroko sipped his coffee slowly.

“Thank you for yesterday,” he eventually murmured, “Not just for comforting me,” he added quickly, hearing Kagami’s automatic denial, “But for taking me to the fire station. For letting me into that part of your life, too.”

Kagami’s hand gently covered his, squeezing lightly. “Anything you want to know, you only have to ask. Sorry it took me this long to introduce you, but they’ve all been really busy at the station recently. Hopefully we’ll be able to get together properly again soon.”

“I’d like that,” Kuroko agreed honestly, turning his hand over to hold Kagami’s as usual. “I didn’t get to meet everybody.”

Kagami’s fingers squeezed his in comfort and Kuroko smiled, squeezing back, more content in that moment than he thought he might have ever been.

\--------

The rest of the day continued as the morning had started, slow and relaxed and comforting. Kagami followed Kuroko into university for piano practise, doing some of his reading while the sound of Kuroko playing in the background kept him relaxed and focused. He’d missed this, he realised, trying to think back to the last time he’d heard Kuroko play, and realising it had been far too long. For something that was so huge, so important to his lover, Kagami hadn’t nearly supported it as much as he could have. Which was something he’d rectify, he promised himself, finishing the plan for one of his essays and just watching Kuroko, watching small fingers glide across keys, those blue eyes spark with something like joy as they always did whenever Kuroko played the piano. The unseeing blue was focused somewhere around where music sheets would be, if Kuroko were able to use them, and a small smile softened the usually expressionless face until Kagami felt his stomach ache at the beauty of it.

“Beautiful,” he complimented lowly when Kuroko finished the piece he’d been learning by ear, as his fingers created a more beautiful rendition than the tape he’d been learning from could ever produce, and watched a light blush colour the blind boy’s cheeks. Kagami started to get up, took a step or two forwards and Kuroko turned towards him on the stool, face already tilting up expectantly.

But they were interrupted a second later by the sound of Kuroko’s phone ringing, startling the both of them. Kagami paused and Kuroko muttered a quick apology before pulling it out of his pocket and answering it.

“Akashi-kun?” Kuroko was pleasantly surprised at the voice on the other end of the line as his old teammate greeted him.

“It’s been a while, Kuroko. How are you?”

“I’m very well, thank you,” Kuroko replied, feeling Kagami sit down next to him, pressing a shoulder against his. “How are you?”

“I’m fine,” Akashi replied. “I’m actually calling as I’ll be in Tokyo next month for a week or so on family business and I was wondering if you had time if you’d be willing to meet for dinner?”

“I would like that,” Kuroko replied honestly.

Kagami listened with half an ear as Kuroko arranged to meet Akashi next month. He didn’t know much about this friend of Kuroko’s except they’d also played basketball together in high school, and Akashi had more money than God, being from a powerful old family. Pleased Kuroko looked happy with the unexpected call, he checked his own phone and was surprised to see an email from Tatsuya, asking him if he was around next week as he was coming to Tokyo for a short holiday.

Replying, Kagami hoped he’d be able to meet his brother soon, and that their unfinished basketball issues wouldn’t get in the way of them being friends still. He missed Tatsuya, missed their friendship, and hoped that even if they couldn’t be close in basketball anymore, they could be close elsewhere.

Kuroko leant against him with a sigh and Kagami looked down, wanting to stroke the blue hair back from his forehead, pull Kuroko close and just hold him. Maybe have his wicked way with him, Kagami mused as Kuroko’s delicate fingers stretched out towards the keys, caressing them with as much sensuality as when they were stroking up and down Kagami’s skin. But he shook those thoughts free, aware they were in a public place where anyone could walk in, but maybe saving them for later, should his lover be in the mood.

They stayed at university for another hour or so as Kuroko perfected the one piece and practised a few of his own, feeling Kagami sat next to him and wanting to impress him, playing to the very best of his ability. He went back to his own apartment for the night, wanting some time to just take in and process everything that had happened, how amazing Kagami had been over the past few days, let alone their entire relationship so far. He still wasn’t sure how he would ever repay him, if he even could. And even with the thoughts of his lover never far away, it was only when he was lying in bed that he realised he hated the coldness of his own bed without Kagami in it, the quiet of the apartment with Kagami’s breath absent, the beat of his heart under his ear gone. And suddenly, he couldn’t wait to move in with him. He still had his doubts, his reservations, but his excitement set his blood on fire, his stomach clenching with the anticipation. Falling into a restless, but happy sleep, he once again thanked fate for his lover, for their first meeting and everything since then.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry I am a disgrace at uploading. This is the last chapter I've finished too.......... orz  
> I AM going to do my best and write more, but it looks like I might be sticking to monthly updates from now on (I'm so sorry)... I've started a part-time job, and that on top of my dad currently in hospital and a new semester and all the new work that comes with that I'm just running out of time to write >


	25. Chapter 25

Nigou woke Kuroko the next morning with several face licks and he came to groggily, confused about where he was. Stretching out his arms, he remembered leaving Kagami at the door with a gentle kiss and a promise to call him tomorrow, which was why the rest of the bed was cold. Sitting up with a yawn, he thought about the resolution he’d made yesterday and was pleased to find that he hadn’t changed his mind.

He’d been practically living at Kagami’s as it was, he had to admit, or at least they’d been living together across their two homes. Moving in together wouldn’t be that big a step, that big a change, would it?

“Tetsu-kuuun?” the voice echoed through the door as light raps on the wood signalled Momoi’s entrance. “Are you in?”

“Good morning, Momoi-san,” Kuroko called back, hearing the door open once she’d heard him.

“It’s been a while,” she greeted him, and Kuroko was relieved to note there was no bitterness, no negativity in her tone. “I’ve brought pancakes?”

He smiled, “I’ll be out in a minute,” he promised, and heard the door click shut behind her again. Getting up, he pulled a clean set of clothes out of his wardrobe and changed before making his way into the kitchen.

The smell of coffee and pancakes greeted him as he took his usual seat.

Momoi hummed as she placed a fork into his hand. “I’ve already cut them up,” she assured him.

Kuroko thanked her before digging in. The pancakes were delicious and he wondered who had made them, since Momoi wasn’t exactly the most talented of chefs.

“I’m assuming Kagamin is well?” Momoi asked lightly as he cleared his plate, an unspoken agreement that they wouldn’t talk until he’d got some energy in him by way of food and coffee. “You’ve been staying at his a lot, recently.”

“I,” Kuroko blushed. “He’s well,” he said. “I… actually, I wanted to talk to you about something,” he continued, wrapping his hands around his coffee mug and savouring the heat.

“Hmm?” she murmured and he heard her get up, the quiet slide of the plates as she picked them up from the table and took them over to the sink.

“Kagami-kun asked me to move in with him.”

“Tetsu-kun!” Momoi squealed lightly, arms suddenly around his shoulders as she pulled him backwards into her for a semi-awkward hug. “Did you say yes?”

“I… It’s a bit soon,” Kuroko admitted, “But we’re… I thought of doing a trial?” he offered. “For a couple of weeks or so, to see if it would really work.”

“Hmm,” he felt her hair sway against his arm as she nodded. “Sensible. Though it has been almost six months or so now, Tetsu-kun. I think it’s pretty normal to be thinking of these things now.”

Kuroko blinked. Really? He hadn’t realised time had moved so quickly.

She smiled lightly against his neck and pressed a friendly kiss to his ear. “Well, just let me know how it goes, and what’s happening and so on. You can move out properly whenever you’re ready.”

“But… the lease?”

She laughed lightly and let go of him. “Don’t worry about things like that. I’ll not lose anything. It won’t be hard to find another tenant, not here. You can go whenever you want to, whether that’s tomorrow or when you’re eighty-something.”

Kuroko was left speechless. Momoi laughed, not unkindly, and gently placed her hand over his as she sat back down at the table, clearly ignoring the washing up for now.

“Anyway, how is the relationship? You must be doing well if you’re thinking of moving in together, but still.”

“It’s… good,” Kuroko replied, trying to prevent the smile from rising to his face but pretty sure he was failing. “Kagami-kun is very considerate, very thoughtful. He’s… actually, he’s coming to my therapist with me this week,” he admitted.

Momoi’s hand wrapped around his wrist and squeezed lightly, a sign of her joy for him. “I’m so glad!” she sighed softly. “You must really trust him.”

Kuroko blinked. And it wasn’t like he hadn’t realised that before, realised that he trusted Kagami-kun. It was sort of obvious. But he hadn’t realised exactly how _much_ he trusted his lover. Not only his body, but his heart, the entirety of him, he’d put into Kagami’s hands at one point or another, and Kagami had done absolutely nothing to disabuse him of that trust.

“I do,” Kuroko agreed softly, squeezing her hand back lightly, his own heart light with something like joy. “He’s… I’m pretty sure I’m falling for him,” Kuroko admitted for the first time, the words spilling off his lips and ringing with truth. “If I haven’t already.”

“Tetsu-kun,” Momoi sighed softly, “He makes you that happy?”

Kuroko flushed, ducking his head in an unconscious motion that made Momoi grin, unseen, across the table.

“Anyway,” she changed the topic, seeing her friend’s usual poker-face break as the tips of his ears turned red, “So long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters. But speaking of happy relationships, did you hear about Dai-chan and Ki-chan moving?”

“I did,” Kuroko admitted, somewhat relieved to hear the sheer joy in Momoi’s voice. Aomine and Momoi had been friends since childhood, having grown up together, and for a short while Kuroko had even assumed that they’d end up together, until Kise had come along and filled an irreplaceable spot in Aomine’s life. “I’m very happy for them.”

“I know, right?” Momoi murmured with a happy sigh. “I’m so proud of them. It’ll be sad when they go, of course, but it’s going to be so good for them. And Dai-chan said something about staying at Kagamin’s?”

Kuroko nodded, “Kagami’s father still lives over in L.A., it seems, and has offered them the spare room in his apartment, to save them on rent and utility costs and so on.”

“That’s so nice of him,” Momoi sighed softly, “You’ve really picked a good one there, Tetsu-kun.”

Kuroko smiled helplessly, “I know,” he admitted, cheeks flushing red. “I’m lucky.”

Momoi hummed in agreement, and the subject switched to the soundtrack Kuroko had been working on, which was now completed and Kuroko was just waiting for a copy in the post. Nothing had come yet, but for a few letters which Momoi read out for Kuroko to see what he wanted to do. Most were just requests for his presence at concerts for the university, but there was another – in braille too, no less – from the town hall again, asking if he would play at a charity concert for disabled children. Kuroko could never refuse those types of requests and agreed even before Momoi had finished reading out the letter.

It was another half hour until they’d finished going through all of the mail Momoi had seen fit to let wait whenever Kuroko hadn’t been home. Kuroko agreed to two more concerts, which Momoi would get the information for him, and dictated to her a reply to a letter he’d received from one of the kids who’d been at the concert he’d done at home all those months ago, when Kagami had come with him for the first time. He was more than pleased that the others were actually contacting him, that he could help them somehow, no matter how small it was. He really felt useful at times like these, like he could do something good in the world, something that he loved doing – other than the piano, of course.

So it was with a decidedly happier outlook on life that Kuroko said goodbye to Momoi half an hour later and went to sit on his sofa, Nigou curled up next to him. Everything was just going so well, and Kuroko hadn’t had the usual intense misgivings – although they were there, they were nothing but slight twinges now and again.

Finding the remote for the stereo in the drawers in his coffee table, he pressed play and let the soothing sound of piano music flood the room, washing away the silence. He knew all of these pieces by heart and felt his fingers twitch, itching to play, to join in the melody. He wondered when he’d get his copy for the soundtrack he’d helped create. He’d heard it all, knew all of the notes off by heart, of course, but he wanted to play it for Kagami, to see what his lover thought. He also wondered if he’d ever get a chance to do something like that again, if Mrs. Yamazawa had liked his work enough to request him again. She’d said she’d been impressed, that she’d liked it, and his more than generous bank balance attested to that, but he wasn’t sure exactly what would happen next.

But he knew he wouldn’t give up now. He’d really enjoyed creating new music, joining in other musicians in a melody the way that he couldn’t usually at his concerts, being unable to see the conductor of an orchestra to join in. And he hadn’t minded. He liked playing on his own – that way any faults or praises were clearly _his_. But being able to be a part of something so much larger, of being able to contribute to something that he’d never even dreamed of, had been amazing, and he prayed he got the chance to do it again.

It was as the CD’s final trade faded out into silence that Kuroko realised his phone was buzzing in the other room. Getting up with a sigh, he regretted putting it on vibrate so he could sleep, and made his way into the bedroom to answer it.

He’d just missed the call as the phone lay still in his hand. Voice-requesting voicemail, he lifted the device to his ear and hoped whoever had called had left a message.

_Hey, Kuroko_. Kagami’s voice sounded a little awkward and embarrassed over the phone and Kuroko couldn’t stop a smile. _Sorry if you’re busy. Just wanted to check you’re okay. Some last-minute basketball practise has come up tonight so won’t be able to see you or anything, sorry. And, uh, I know it’s only been a night but… uh, miss you._

Kuroko’s stomach flipped. Humming, he sat down on the edge of the bed and voice-activated call-back.

_“Hey,”_ Kagami’s voice was low and a little relieved over the phone. “You okay?”

“I’m fine, Kagami-kun,” Kuroko promised, “Thank you for letting me know about tonight. Everything okay?”

“Yeah, it’s all cool. We’ve just got another tournament in a couple weeks and Coach is bricking it,” Kagami brushed it off. “So I’ll be busier soon. Sorry.”

“No, not at all,” Kuroko denied, “It’s fine, I promise. Don’t worry about me.”

“Easier said than done,” Kagami grumbled. “And I know you can take care of yourself,” he added before Kuroko could get out more assurances. “You’ve been doing it long before we were together. I still feel bad though. Especially if you’ll be moving here.”

“If?” Kuroko echoed, stomach suddenly plummeting. Had Kagami changed his mind? Was he regretting their decision?

“Well we never decided which apartment would be best, did we?” Kagami’s voice cut through Kuroko’s panic, leaving him breathless with relief as he finished processing the words.

“Well…” Kuroko was astonished, “You indicated yours would be, considering you asked me to move in there with you.”

Kagami chuckled lowly, “True,” he admitted. “But I don’t want to throw things out of whack for you. If your apartment would be better, I’m happy coming over there, too.”

Kuroko’s stomach warmed. Not that he wanted them to stay in this small apartment that was much further from university when Kagami’s spacious one was available, but the consideration was more than welcome.

“Yours is probably best,” Kuroko reassured him. “I’ve spoken to my landlord anyway, and she says she doesn’t mind. I’ll keep this apartment until the trial is over with you and if it goes well, I can end my lease whenever.”

Kuroko could almost _hear_ Kagami’s happiness over the phone, wished he could press his fingers to warm lips and feel him smile. “Alright,” Kagami agreed, “Sounds good.”

“When are you going to basketball practise?” Kuroko asked as a comfortable silence settled over the two of them for a moment.

“Not for another hour or so,” Kagami admitted. “Though I can’t wait. I didn’t sleep well without you next to me last night and I’ve got all this energy to burn.”

Kuroko’s face turned red and he wondered how Kagami could say such shameless things without getting embarrassed. “I did miss your cooking this morning,” he admitted. “Though Momoi-san did bring pancakes.”

“Pancakes, eh?” Kagami hummed. “I’ll make them for you next time.”

Kuroko chuckled and accepted happily.

 “Oh, also,” Kagami added, “Tatsuya – uh, Himuro, my sort-of brother?” Kuroko hummed in recognition, “Well, uh, he’s coming to Japan on Saturday next week and he’s got nowhere to crash so I said he could stay in the spare room here. That okay with you?”

“That’s fine, Kagami-kun. I’d like to meet Himuro-san.”

A sigh of relief came down the line, “Thanks, Kuroko. I owe you one.”

“Not at all,” Kuroko replied. “Pancakes are more than adequate enough as payment.”

Kagami’s chuckle brightened Kuroko’s day, and he thrilled for the millionth time at the knowledge that, although admittedly quite rare, he _could_ make Kagami laugh.

“Alright,” he agreed lowly. “Though I’m sure I can make it up to you in other ways, too.”

Kuroko’s breath hitched as Kagami used _that_ voice, the one that never failed to set him on fire.

“Really?” he murmured, pulse already racing. “What kind of ways?”

There was a pause and Kuroko wondered if he had read Kagami’s intentions right, or if he’d just made a fool out of himself. But then a warm chuckle sounded and Kuroko squirmed, hands already clammy.

“Where are you?” Kagami asked lowly.

“Sitting on the edge of the bed,” Kuroko replied.

“Okay. Scoot back, and put me on speaker,” Kagami ordered. Kuroko’s blood already on fire, he did as told and lay back against the pillows, the phone on speaker next to his head. He and Kagami hadn’t really played about with orders and obedience much yet, but it was something Kuroko definitely wanted to rest out sooner or later.

“What are you wearing?”

“Just my sweatpants and one of your t-shirts,” Kuroko replied shamelessly.

“Take the t-shirt off,” Kagami growled, the husky voice losing some of its gruffness through the tinny phone speaker, but not enough to turn Kuroko off. Tugging the t-shirt over his head, he lost it somewhere on the bed and hoped he’d be able to find it later. The cotton was soft and almost worn through and it was one of his favourite things to wear to bed – he’d be more than disappointed if he couldn’t find it later on.

“Done,” Kuroko murmured into the speaker, sitting back and getting comfortable again.

“Good,” Kagami murmured lowly. “Imagine I’m there. First, I’m gonna kiss you,” Kuroko sighed softly, imagining it. “Use one hand to play with your nipples,” Kagami continued. Kuroko’s breath hitched as he pinched a nipple between his forefinger and thumb, plucking lightly, feeling it harden under his touch, wishing it was Kagami and calluses rough from basketball on his skin rather than his smaller, smoother hands. “That’s it,” Kagami praised lightly, hearing Kuroko’s breathing change in pitch over the phone. “So good. Now the other one.”

With a happy little sigh, Kuroko did as ordered, chest arching into his touches.

“Are you hard for me?” Kagami murmured lowly. “I am for you. Just imagining what a pretty little sight you are, pale, delicate skin, just begging for me to mark it up.”

“Kagami-kun,” Kuroko mumbled, fingers still rubbing at his nipples, wanting – _needing_ – more stimulation.

Kagami chuckled softly. “Go on then. Push your sweatpants down.”

Kuroko did so, gasping as the material caught his erection and dragged down it. “Boxers too,” Kagami added.

“Not wearing any,” Kuroko responded, and grinned as Kagami’s groan sounded long and low over the phone.

“You got lube with you?” Kagami asked.

“Mmm,” Kuroko affirmed.

“Fetch it.” Kuroko did so, and slicked up his palm when requested, wrapping his palm around himself and groaning with the sensation.

“Imagine it’s my hand,” Kagami murmured lowly. “Don’t stop. Slow and easy, you know how you like that.”

“Yes,” Kuroko agreed, eyes rolling back in his head as his hips started to thrust up into his palm. “Please.”

“So good for me,” Kagami crooned gently. “I’m so close, Kuroko. So close for you. If only I was there, I’d push one finger into you, two. Spread you open so slowly, so carefully, and only when you’re unable to speak, would I give you a third, readying you for me.”

Kuroko groaned and arched, almost able to _feel_ the sensations described in that low voice. “And when you’re ready, nice and open and loose, I’d lift your hips up and press into you, so nice and slow,” Kagami continued. Kuroko’s head pushed back into the pillows, some absent part of him wondering why on earth they’d never done this before.

His stomach tightened, curled with heat, spreading up from his crotch to suffuse his whole body. “P-please,” he whispered, and heard Kagami chuckle, low and filthy, near his ear.

“Go for it,” his lover encouraged, “Come for me.”

With a muffle cry, Kuroko obeyed, feeling heat splash against his abdomen as his body instantly tensed and then loosened into a relaxed heap.

“ _Fuck_ ,” Kuroko heard Kagami groan long and low before silence fell.

“…Kuroko?”

“Mm,” Kuroko murmured, unable to muster up speech just yet.

“You okay?”

“Yeah,” Kuroko sighed, rolling over, using his cleaner hand to feel about on the covers for his phone. Finding it, he turned off speakerphone and held it to his ear. “That was good.”

“Hell yeah,” Kagami agreed with another low chuckle. “I’m a mess. Gonna have to shower again before practise.”

“Mm… I miss you,” Kuroko admitted quietly.

“Sorry I can’t come over,” Kagami apologised. “But I’ll see you Monday at uni?”

“Yes, please,” Kuroko agreed, sighing softly, sad that the mood had effectively shifted. “But I’d better go get cleaned up now, and you should be heading for practise soon.”

Kagami sighed in resignation. “Yeah. Sorry. If I was there I’d clean it off you with my tongue, but.”

Kuroko felt heat rise to his cheeks and his stomach curl with arousal again. “Next time.”

Kuroko could hear the grin in his lover’s voice, “Anytime. But you go clean up, and I’ll speak to you tomorrow.”

“Okay. Good night, Kagami-kun. Enjoy practise.”

“Thanks. Sleep well, Kuroko.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry the gaps between chapters have got so long - I can't promise they'll get any shorter any time soon either :/
> 
> have some phone sex to make up for it?? <3 x


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